The view from our front porch.  Max’s collection of “pluggers” keeps growing.  He has now assumed ownership of an additional power strip.  Our neighbors and friends at the playground always look to see what “interesting” new thing Max has.  He carries these around in his backpack everywhere.  He plugs them in all over his room in a specific arrangement at night and nap time, and when he wakes up he carts them downstairs and plugs them in again.  When we leave the house, he packs them up in his backpack and unpacks them on the front porch where there is an outlet when we get home.  As we drive, he points out the power lines to me and asks where they connect.  When he sees something plugged in at a store, he needs to know if the cord has three prongs or two, and is it an American or Japanese outlet?  We used to watch Toy Story on Friday nights, but now we watch the same electricity episode of Popular Mechanics for Kids.  It’s sometimes very frustrating to leave the house and make sure his inventory is complete if we’re running late, but it really is such a gift to watch his interests develop.  I can’t wait to see what the next obsession – ahem, interest, – will be!

Oh, and quick disclaimer – Yes, I know he’s only three, but he does understand that metal is a conductor and will shock him if he is touching the metal while plugging something into an outlet.  Some coworkers of mine were horrified when they realized I let him “play” with outlets.  He takes electricity very seriously and has a healthy respect for its capabilities as explained by his daddy.