Discoveries and Experiments

12/10/2012

Discoveries and Experiments

During my childhood Dad and I would occasionally test out the theories demonstrated in commercials on television and they were fun.

One manufacturer of plastic wrap contended that you could line the inside of a coffee cup, pour hot coffee inside and then pick up the plastic wrap and have no leaks.  We did try that and if memory serves correctly I believe we successfully mimicked the commercial.

Then there was a certain green shampoo, which I don't even know if they make anymore that used to show on television how long it took for a pearl to sink to the bottom of the bottle.  Lucky for them it was impossible for my Dad and I to shove a bead through the small opening of the bottle.  So this theory continues to be a mystery.

Next experiment was with those little take home bags of ketchup.  I was a teenager and old enough to know better but bet my Dad that it would be impossible to flex the bag back and forth enough to get it to pop open.   I finally  managed to bend the little bag until it broken open and ketchup went all over the ceiling.  So I was wrong about the bag of ketchup and Mom was mad.  Mom made Dad and I clean (or attempt to clean) the ceiling and we were both in the dog house for a few days.

When my sons came along the tradition of experimenting continued.  The boys wanted to know if mashed potatoes launched toward a wall would stick.  Jeff was out of town, mashed potatoes was on the table and collectively the four of us launched our spoons.  And to answer the million dollar question - yes the potatoes will stick - at least initially.  The dogs loved that experiment!

Then there is sour candy and soda which when combined together produces an excellent explosion.  Trouble was they didn't try this outside, nope in the bedroom where the contents of the soda bottle was sprayed all over the carpet. This time it was my turn to be mad.  Because of the sugary mess we brought in a commercial carpet cleaner and we let the boys help pay for his services.  That is one experiment that has never been repeated in my house.

We also discovered quite by accident thanks to one son who shall remain nameless, that if you cut the power cable to the furnace during the winter - the house gets cold really quick.  This wasn't so much of an experiment as it was a bit of acting out.  This episode resulted in an expensive emergency HVAC service call.  Like the potatoes and soda explosion this was a one off experiment.

With three boys in the house one of them was "thinking" (or not) all the time!  Our youngest son put his hand through a window because his brothers dared him and he was too young to know better.  Another time one of the boys who was old enough to know better messed around with the circuit breaker box and luckily was wearing rubber-soled shoes or it would have been his last experiment.  Also if you put your finger in the gear of a cement mixer (the home variety), and then turn the handle, it is likely that your finger will be broken.  It also takes a lot of patience and mud to fix a hole(s) in the drywall where one or more of the boys went through during a push and shove contest.  The same can't be said for bedroom doors - once they've been pushed in - don't bother to fix them - buy new.

It's hard in the moment of sheer stupidity to see the upside of what has just happened.  It's only when years have passed that you as a parent can see that (a) the world didn't end, you just thought it would; and (b) the boys will certainly receive payback when they have their own children.  I don't know about you - but this mother can hardly wait!

P