Maybe you DON'T need a degree for this stuff

 

Elias has always been observant and inquisitive. Like when he was three and I was going through a heavy country music phase and had it playing one day in the car on our way somewhere. I really wasn't listening to much besides the melody until a question comes from the back seat. "Mom, why did that singer just say she had a broken heart? How can someone get a broken heart like she says?" Uhhhh, well...

Shortly after that I found myself calling my electrical engineer brother because Elias had just asked how electricity was made and how it got into our houses (did I EVER wonder that, even when I was bigger than three or four?).

Fast forward five years. The other night at dinner, after I asked Whit a few questions and Elias answered them for him, Whit said that he had just hired Elias to answer ALL of his questions. He then said "Alright Elias answer this question. Today at work I had a patient that has severe degenerative mitral valve disease with atrial fibrillation and left-sided congestive heart failure. He is being medicated with oral enalapril, spironolactone, hydrochlorothiazide, digoxin, diltiazem and recieves two injections of furosemide every day. The owner complained that his dog is now vomiting. The patient's blood work showed a blood urea nitrogen of 256mg/dl, a creatinine of 4.5mg/dl, and a phosphorus of 13." (Whit helped me with this part so you could understand the full effect. I was completely lost after the first three words.) Then Whit said, "Elias, what do you think I should do to help this dog?" Almost without hesitation, Elias said very confidently, "Sounds to me like he needs to stop taking so many drugs." Whit's response after a suprised delay..."Your EXACTLY right."