Mercedes was absolutely thrilled to be able to go to work with Daddy today.

It was pretty much what I expected at the start of the day; she was excited, though not overly so, just to go to work with me today. She had homework to do during the “at work” time in the morning – math homework, Mom-assigned questions for Dad, and interview questions for Dad from the folks at work. That was more than enough to keep her busy for 90 minutes.

Next came a tour around the building I work in. She was impressed by the mechanical engineers and their virtual barbecue grill; even more impressed by the foamer used down in the shipping area; but most of all she liked the machine used to simulate lightning strikes on electronics. She had a front row, 20-inches-away seat when Mr. Goral hit the button that blew up a resistor. She commented on it several times on the way upstairs to eat lunch.

After lunch we took a tour in the Advanced Manufacturing Center. She was interested in everything from the revolving doors to the pick and place machines, and we had the good fortune to see a line in operation. Of course, she denied enjoying it when asked, but it’s hard to mistake the big grin she had on her face.

The last major activity of the day was a circuit project. Using a block of styrofoam, an LED, a resistor, a coat hanger, and some other basic materials, we fashioned an electronic game. The player is required to navigate a small metal loop from one end to the other without making contact, else the red LED lights up. Those of you with a few years under your belt probably played Milton Bradley’s Operation game; the concept is not entirely different. When we finished, Mercedes repeatedly commented about this project being her favorite part of the day. It was a lot of fun, truth be told, and she thinks the result is one of the coolest things she’s had in a long time, probably because she helped build it. I’m going to have to see if we can dig up the old electronics kits at Granpda Al’s house so she can tinker with them.

When it was all over, Mom came and picked up Mercedes, who later wrote about the experience. Reading her story made me realize that it’s really hard to watch my baby girl grow up so fast. At the same time I’m touched by her sweetness and incredibly proud of the young lady she’s becoming. This was a day we’ll both treasure for a long time.