I had prepared too much food and worried too much about everything from the stove temperature to whether my furniture was interesting enough.

Mason solved the problem by declaring that we should turn the spare room into a workshop.

He spread paper across the desk and began drawing.

He wanted shelves for models and a box for tools, plus a sign on the door reading MASON’S LAB.

I told him the room could certainly have a sign, but we would need to ask his mother before storing anything sharp or messy there.

“Mom will say yes to safe tools,” he declared with confidence.