Humbled Mom

Last night there was a big storm in Cincinnati.  It started while RP was playing, what become, his last baseball game of the season.  They had a long run and made it to the third game of the tournament, but when we were down by 11 runs and the lightning started last night, we conceded the loss instead of waiting for 30 minute for the game to be rescheduled for being one run short of a run rule.  Anyway, the dark clouds followed us as we drove from Okeana back to civilization.  We stopped at Chipotle for dinner and watched the sky get darker and darker during our meal.  Occasionally there would be a flash of lightning which sparked a thought in RP's brain.

He started talking about sprites.  I had never heard of a sprite before (unless it was the carbonated beverage or a forest creature) so I just listened to his explanation.  According to him, it was the part of the lightning that comes up from the ground when lightning strikes from the sky.  He had learn about this through a "document" he watched before he watched the "document" about the really smart guy in the wheelchair (Stephen Hawking).  Each time the lightning would strike, he would say, "Oh, that was a good one, that one had to have had a sprite."

Later I asked B if he has ever heard on a sprite before, his response was no.  In typical grown up, I-know-more-than-my-son, he-must-have-heard-it-wrong fashion, I didn't really believe he knew what he was talking about.  Tisk tisk Mom.  I should really have more faith in his knowledge.  I know he is smart and I know his memory is way better than mine.  I shouldn't second guess everything that he tells me and here is why: while entering information about a property loss due to lightning strike, I was reminded of our conversation.  So I pulled up trusty ole Google, and guess what.....he was mostly right.  Mama has been schooled!  Granted, he was wrong about where a sprite occurs, but he reference it in the correct situation.

Maybe I am alone in not knowing what a sprite is already and need to education myself.  Or maybe it isn't common knowledge.

I am humbled and feel foolish for not trusting him more last night.

If you don't know what it is either.....here are some references

http://news.discovery.com/earth/weather-extreme-events/red-sprites-lightning-130822.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_(lightning)

http://www.universetoday.com/103969/watch-sprite-lightning-flash-at-10000-frames-per-second/