diff --git a/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/DragDropSidebar.tsx b/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/DragDropSidebar.tsx
index 9a41f06..0401da9 100644
--- a/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/DragDropSidebar.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/DragDropSidebar.tsx
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ function addNodeToFlow(nodeType: keyof typeof NodeTypes, position: XYPosition) {
     id: id,
     type: nodeType,
     position,
-    data: {...defaultData}
+    data: JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(defaultData))
   }
   addNode(newNode);
 }
diff --git a/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/nodes/PhaseNode.tsx b/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/nodes/PhaseNode.tsx
index 56c762c..c8ea2c0 100644
--- a/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/nodes/PhaseNode.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/nodes/PhaseNode.tsx
@@ -110,7 +110,6 @@ export function PhaseReduce(node: Node, nodes: Node[]) {
  * @param isThisSource whether this instance of the node was the source in the connection, true = yes.
  */
 export function PhaseConnects(thisNode: Node, otherNode: Node, isThisSource: boolean) {
-  console.log("Connect functionality called.")
   const node = thisNode as PhaseNode
   const data = node.data as PhaseNodeData
   if (!isThisSource)
diff --git a/test/pages/visProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/nodes/PhaseNode.test.tsx b/test/pages/visProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/nodes/PhaseNode.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..01de131
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/pages/visProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/nodes/PhaseNode.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+import useFlowStore from '../../../../../src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/VisProgStores';
+import type { PhaseNodeData } from "../../../../../src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/nodes/PhaseNode";
+import { getByTestId, render } from '@testing-library/react';
+import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event';
+import VisProgPage from '../../../../../src/pages/VisProgPage/VisProg';
+
+
+class ResizeObserver {
+  observe() {}
+  unobserve() {}
+  disconnect() {}
+}
+window.ResizeObserver = ResizeObserver;
+
+jest.mock('@neodrag/react', () => ({
+  useDraggable: (ref: React.RefObject<HTMLElement>, options: any) => {
+    // We access the real useEffect from React to attach a listener
+    // This bridges the gap between the test's userEvent and the component's logic
+    const { useEffect } = jest.requireActual('react');
+    
+    useEffect(() => {
+      const element = ref.current;
+      if (!element) return;
+
+      // When the test fires a "pointerup" (end of click/drag), 
+      // we manually trigger the library's onDragEnd callback.
+      const handlePointerUp = (e: PointerEvent) => {
+        if (options.onDragEnd) {
+          options.onDragEnd({ event: e });
+        }
+      };
+
+      element.addEventListener('pointerup', handlePointerUp as EventListener);
+      return () => {
+        element.removeEventListener('pointerup', handlePointerUp as EventListener);
+      };
+    }, [ref, options]);
+  },
+}));
+
+describe('PhaseNode', () => {
+  it('each created phase gets its own children array, not the same reference ', async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+
+    const { container } = render(<VisProgPage />);
+
+    // --- Mock ReactFlow bounding box ---
+    // Your DndToolbar checks these values:
+    const flowEl = container.querySelector('.react-flow');
+    jest.spyOn(flowEl!, 'getBoundingClientRect').mockReturnValue({
+      left: 0,
+      right: 800,
+      top: 0,
+      bottom: 600,
+      width: 800,
+      height: 600,
+      x: 0,
+      y: 0,
+      toJSON: () => {},
+    });
+    
+    // Find the draggable norm node in the toolbar
+    const phaseButton = getByTestId(container, 'draggable-phase')
+    
+    // Simulate dropping phase down in graph (twice)
+    for (let i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
+    await user.pointer([
+      // touch the screen at element1
+      {keys: '[TouchA>]', target: phaseButton},
+      // move the touch pointer to element2
+      {pointerName: 'TouchA', coords: {x: 300, y: 250}},
+      // release the touch pointer at the last position (element2)
+      {keys: '[/TouchA]'},
+    ]);
+    }
+
+    // Find nodes
+    const nodes = useFlowStore.getState().nodes;
+    const p1 = nodes.find((x) => x.id === 'phase-1')!;
+    const p2 = nodes.find((x) => x.id === 'phase-2')!;
+
+    // expect same value, not same reference
+    expect(p1.data.children).not.toBe(p2.data.children);
+    expect(p1.data.children).toEqual(p2.data.children);
+
+    // Add nodes to children
+    const p1_data = p1.data as PhaseNodeData;
+    const p2_data = p2.data as PhaseNodeData;
+    p1_data.children.push("norm-1");
+    p2_data.children.push("norm-2");
+    p2_data.children.push("goal-1");
+
+    // check that after adding, its not the same reference, and its not the same children
+    expect(p1.data.children).not.toBe(p2.data.children);
+    expect(p1.data.children).not.toEqual(p2.data.children);
+    
+    // expect them to have the correct length.
+    expect(p1_data.children.length == 1);
+    expect(p2_data.children.length == 2);
+  });
+});
\ No newline at end of file