Filling Up Some Space With Knowledge

I used to work in a library, back when children would need books for homework and school projects, and not the Internet. A mom and her young son come in and ask me to show them all the books on space and the solar system.

I’m going through a few books for them when the mom asks:

Mom: “Do any of these books explain why the sun gets less bright at night?”

Me: “Uh… what do you mean, ma’am?”

Mom: “Well, as everyone knows, the moon and the sun are the same thing; it’s just not as bright in the nighttime. Why?”

Me: “Ma’am, the moon and sun are very much different things.”

Mom: “They are?”

Son: “Mom, you’ve seen them both in the sky at the same time! How do you explain that?”

Mom: “Diffraction?”

Son: “Mom, you think the sun and the moon are the same thing, but you know what diffraction means?”

The mom looks confused. The young son turns to me.

Son: “We’re fine from here, thanks. I’m going to go over a few things with my mom.”

I left them to it, and when they were checking out some books a half hour later, the mom was brimming with questions directed at her son. It was adorable!