The Why and How of It

Some days Abbey talks, almost non-stop, for hours at a time.  Great segments of our conversations involve answering some form of the question, "why?"

What is Fancy Nancy thinking?  Why is she sad?  Why is Grandma your mommy?  Why is green Daddy's favorite color?  Why?

Dylan's verbal capabilities don't yet allow for such questions, but watching him at his train table or near anything with buttons makes it clear that his questions are more likely to start with, "how?"

How does the train track make that sound?  How does pressing that button make water come out of the fountain?  How does cheese get out of the package?  How?

Sure, there are moments when these questions grow tiring.  I have answered with a short, "because" a few times and other times I have to bite it back, remembering that they are looking to me for real answers, that their questions are relevant and important.

Most of the time, the questions make me smile and often they make me laugh.  They are innocent and creative and thoughtful in ways that Abbey doesn't even realize as she's asking them, and I hope that my answers help to fuel her inquisitive mind.

In years to come, I hope that curiosity will drive them both to question their teachers, to question what they see in the media, to question what they read on the internet, to question what Ryan and I teach them.

The can be darker aspects to curiosity, the temptation to tred down dangerous paths, and that curiosity worries me already.  Hopefully, we're able to instill a strong moral compass alongside all of those whys and hows.

For now, I can simply give Abbey the best answers I can and hope that Dylan can find the space between her breaths to ask some questions of his own.

why is the frog in the box?

why does he stick out his tongue?

how does it make the clackity-clack sound?

hmmmmm, I'll figure it out myself

the word of the week is curious
go visit Mommy Words to read about other curious kids and the moms that answer their questions