Children are curious little humans and no wonder, the world is full of fantastic knowledge that they’re just itching to get their hands on. But sometimes this can be a bit of a trial to parents, especially when some children ask up to 350 questions a day (that’s more questions per hour than a doctor or teacher!). Here are some of the questions that we just dread hearing (where did they even learn that?!) and some tips (none of them too wise) on how to answer them.
Are we there yet?
Possibly more dreaded than the one about the birds and the bees (you know), because this question, no matter how many times answered, no matter how creative, or reasonable the answer will be, it will never be enough. Never.
Where do babies come from?
That old chestnut. Hopefully you and your partner will have come up with strategy to answer this one. That strategy can be anything from ‘we’ll discuss it together as a family’ or ‘when two people love each other very much…’ or ‘ask you father/mother’*.
*Can cause fights.
Why?
You’re about three or four ‘why’s’ down the line here and your little one is showing no sign of stopping. Best bet is to change the subject stat, because this is one wormhole that no one gets out of alive.
Why is the sky blue?
There’s nothing for it, just learn this off: blue light is scattered in all directions by the tiny molecules of air in Earth’s atmosphere. Blue is scattered more than other colours because the colour blue travels faster than the other colours. That’s why we perceive the sky as blue! So there.
Can we get a puppy/cat/hamster? (Pause) Why not?
They say they’re going to take care of it. But after the first few weeks, they’ll stop. Who will take care of the pet then? Answer: You. You will be the one taking care of it. On the plus side, you get a friend for life. (the pet)
Where do people go when they die?
This can change depending on parents’ religious beliefs, but be prepared for a few follow-up questions after this one. For example ‘Why do people die?’ and ‘When will you die?’ – always a pleasant discussion.
How small are the people in the radio?
Place your thumb and fore finger one inch apart and say ‘this big!’. Don’t shatter the dream that there are tiny journalists in the radio and TV reading them news stories and playing songs. Don’t shatter the dream.