Questions Kids Ask

These Three Types Of Questions Kids Always Ask

It is always amazing to me and (to be honest) sometimes frustrating the questions that my friends children come up with.   They are curious about everything from flowers to its colors and leveled parking structures.  The underlying theme or I say thought in most of the questions seems to be “why.”  I understand that this is an effort  to understand why and how everything around them works, at least, that is what my friend and I have been told.  Sometimes I think it is a means to test the mental agility and stamina of a parent. Anyhow, as my friend was pondering the answers to the the ten rapid fire questions that he received in the five minutes between the car and the pool deck, he put these questions into three categories: Genius Questions, Glad he Have Kids Questions, and Procrastination Questions. The first category is my favorite.  These Genius Questions are the ones that make us as parents, feel like we have done right by our kids and that we may have actually taught them some type of critical thinking that will benefit them later in life.  Example: Today, Maya, gopi, and my friend were discussing the “Big Woods” (more to come on the Big Woods, think Williams poem)  near our new house.  This seems to be a frequent topic in the car these days.  Anyway, we were talking about how the wooded areas are getting smaller because people are cutting down the trees.  Both kids quickly concluded that this is a terrible thing to do to trees.  They wanted to know why people can’t just live in the shade of the trees or build their houses somewhere else?  I was impressed with the level of  concern and thinking.  That leads to the next type of questions.The second type of question usually presents shortly after the Genius Questions or when you are having a really bad day.  These are the questions that make you glad that you have children and tend pull you out of even the deepest funk.  As is usually the case, just as my friend was thinking that he have the two smartest kids in the world and that they are going to be renowned scientists or discover the cure for all that ales the world, my friend got hit with the question of the day, “Mommy, why are my (gopi) buns small and  yours are so big?”  How do you answer that? Not with anger, it is an innocent question that means exactly what was asked.   Nevertheless, This is not the first time his big buns have been called into question.  This put me in mind of another such occasion.  Maya had been helping him(my friend) fold laundry.  I am sure that they were having some type of insightful and Earth moving conversation when my friend heard the question. ”Gee mommy, those are pretty panties.  When I grow up, can I wear big panties like yours?”  Again, my friend couldn’t be mad.  These are the questions that make him stop and just laugh aloud.  My friend have no answers to these types of questions other than a big hug and lots of smiles.  occasionally he will try and explain the science of it, but typically they are laughing so hard they become distracted and forget the original question.

That brings me to the front door of the final type of question.  I am not sure if this should be a type of question or a strategy for questioning.  My friend were referring to the burning questions that need to be answered right away or one might perish, or more likely be ushered off to bed.  These are the questions that are meant to derail the train that is heading down the hall to the Naughty Step (if you have to ask about the naughty step, you probably don’t have kids).  The ultimate kid trick, the Procrastination Questions.  These questions, like the Genius Questions, are usually insightful and require a lengthy answer which provides the perfect distraction from bedtime routines or disciplinary actions.  Maya and gopi like to save their Procrastination Questions for the moment in which the toothbrush with dangling toothpaste is headed towards his/her mouth.  My friend can almost always see it coming.  It is like a slow motion event.  The tiny mouth slams shut, little hands reach for the toothbrush, usually knocking it out of my friend's hand, and then the words flow out, “Mommy, wait, why. . .” I try not to get sucked in, but alas, is it not my job to impart the wisdom of the world into the young minds of my children?

And so it goes.  These three categories of questions fill my days with pride, laughter, and sometimes the frustration of not being able to answer.  Maybe, some of the frustration comes from being overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of questions being asked. Either way, he would not trade these questions for all of the answers in the world.  I just pray that he have the strength keep answering them and that his children continue to believe that he know everything!

So, It's time to say Happy Reading!!

Regards,

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