Q: My 4 year-old son has a fascination with lights/electricity. We constantly have to monitor him regarding extension chords, outlets, etc. He begs us to buy holiday lights for every holiday, even pseudo-holiday! He is constantly on the lookout for electrical sources in stores, homes, even picture books! Can you advise anything regarding such a child? He is very bright (no pun intended), bilingual,and inquisitive. But we are a bit concerned about this particular obsession.
James & Svetlana Vickrey, Kent, WA, USA.

A: The only drawback of your son's obsession with electricity is the safety issue, of course. We imagine that you've explained why he should never touch an electricity socket, and certainly never push anything into a socket. There are plastic socket covers on the market which are difficult for children (also adults, actually!) to remove. It may be worth investing in a substantial batch of these.

On the positive (no pun intended) side, there are also electric circuit kits for (slightly older) children where you connect weak batteries to a circuit containing a bulb or a buzzer. Even though intended for older children (generally 8+) perhaps it's worth tapping into this interest of his for some creative model-making - lighthouses and steady hand testers are fun. We hope this is of some help.