Twenty Questions

On a lazy Sunday morning, I found myself watching “How Does Life Live?”… twice! The video felt amazingly familiar, but also so much more beautiful than my daily life.

As moms, we spend our days and nights playing many roles: caregiver, entertainer, teacher, nurse, housecleaner, chef, chauffeur, referee, and the list goes on. There’s also one role that I wasn’t prepared for: answerer of all questions.

Here are some of the “easy” questions that I answer almost daily:
· (In the middle of the night) Can you tuck me in?
· (Early in the morning) Can we go downstairs yet?
· (All day long) Where’s my [insert toy/book/article of clothing here]?
· (All day long) Can I have a [insert snack name here]?
· (Every afternoon) What’s for dinner?

And, I can’t forget to mention my 5 year old’s favorite question… “Can I ask you a question?”

Sometimes, for better or worse, their questions require more than a “yes” or “no” answer. Word-for-word, here are some of the brain busters that I’ve answered lately…
· What does hello mean?
· How do you read everyone’s mind?
· How do trees grow?
· Why do butterflies fly?
· Do bugs have blood?
· How sharp are sharks’ teeth?
· How do dolphin babies come out?
· How does the heart pump blood?
· How does hair grow?
· Why do old people get wrinkly?
· What happens to us when we die?
· What happens to things after they go in the garbage?
· How do you make a car?

All this leads me to my favorite question… How did generations before us parent without 24/7 access to Google?

I love that my children are curious, but keeping up with their questions is no small task. I didn’t realize how much “useless” knowledge I had, until I could finally put it to good use. When I don’t know an answer, Google is my go-to. When I’m driving or otherwise busy, “remind me to google it later” is often a good enough reply.

PebbleGo is the online resource that my daughter has access to at school, and in addition to her class assignments, she has come home with “fun facts” about a range of topics from butterflies and moths to Taylor Swift. Our assignment for this upcoming school year is to learn how to access PebbleGo at home.

“But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids” is another favorite of ours. Children can submit their questions to “But Why” and then the show’s host groups them and interviews experts for answers. This podcast has been especially enjoyable on longer car rides, and we’ve all learned answers to questions we didn’t even know we had!

Raising curious kids? Comment below with their wildest question, and/or your favorite resources.