I’ve always heard of kids asking their parents a kagillion questions about EVERYTHING. But, I never truly experienced it. My first two kids…just weren’t all that curious about things. Not really.
So, I thought I was safe. I thought I would never have to answer questions like…why is the grass green or why is the sky blue…or, why is that persons skin brown and mine isn’t…
Questions that I would have no clue how to answer. Questions about the very existence of mankind…
And then came my 4 year old.
He doesn’t stop. EVER!
I happen to think it’s awesome, how curious he is. I’m sure that he is brilliant. Positive of it. Might have to get him tested…smirk…
His favorite place to bombard us with all of his questions is in the car.
The other day, on the way to camp, he asked my husband and me why the sky is blue. SERIOUSLY! I didn’t really think that kids actually asked that particular question.
I didn’t know how to answer him.
But…my husband did.
He informed my son that the sky is blue because God had a paintbrush. And with this paintbrush…he freaking splatter painted the sky…making it blue.
HONESTLY!!
And that didn’t sit well with my son.
NOT AT ALL!!
In fact, he told his father how stupid he thought he was.
And then he asked me if his Dad was right.
I replied something like…ah, um, sure, yeah, whatever your dad says…mumble mumble.
I could hear is eyes roll in his head…
I turned in my seat and looked at him, sitting in his car seat, staring out his car window at the blue sky…
and I could see him thinking about his next question…
Which, for sure was…
God, why are my parents so stupid?
Yeah, I think I need to find a book called “Answering Kids Questions For Dummies”
FYI…no…I don’t REALLY believe my son is a genius…it was just for a/effect…I mean, how can he be a genius with a mother that doesn’t EVER remember which affect/effect to use…no matter how many times I look it up or people tell me!!!
Affect is a verb. You affect something with your actions. The outcome of that is the effect. Right?
“When you affect a situation, you have an effect on it.”
Also, you don’t need a book to answer his questions – you just need GOOGLE. Just say, “You know sweetie, I don’t know but I promise we can look it up when we get home.” and then you can do it together.
For example – Why is the sky blue?
The blue color of the sky is due to Rayleigh scattering. As light moves through the atmosphere, most of the longer wavelengths pass straight through. Little of the red, orange and yellow light is affected by the air.
Ofcourse, then you’ll have to discuss Reyleigh scattering, OR with any luck, he’ll just take it as is and “shut it”. I guess I could have said that with nicety.
I have to look up a/effect all the time too. Mostly I just pick a different word or phrase. A commercial here for Girl Scouts has a little girl (not more than 4-5) asking the same question. The Dad tells her it’s to match her eyes… she tells him he’s wrong then launches into this complicated scientific explanation. Dad asks where she learned that… “from mommy!” I love this commercial. Now whenever I see it I will think of you. đŸ™‚
That is flippin’ HILARIOUS!!! His question to God at the end… priceless! Kirsten’s been one to ask those types of questions, and when I don’t know the answer, I simply tell her to ask her Daddy later! (He actually is quite better at coming up with better answers for her to understand. Mine usually involve lots of “Um… uh…”!)
So funny! My oldest daughter is the talker. Non-stop. We even play games with her on how long she can NOT talk. Five seconds is the record so far. LOL I was a question asker when I was little. The priceless question for my mom….”Why does Taco Bell have a roof?”!!!
I think I should have an honorary degree in zoology based on all the questions my 4 year old asks about animals. And all the times I have to rin to Google to answer those questions!
effect…duh!
and even if its not correct…i LOVE your husbands answer!
Hey you! I have been wondering where you went! Glad to have found you again!
hi melissa ~ i often mix up afeect/effect, too!
as our girls got older, i just started answering a lot of their questions with, “look it up” (google it).
great day, kathleen xoxo
stupid affect typo haha
“I could hear is eyes roll in his head…” Really, you can hear that??? Awesome!!
Kids can be so entertaining. And, apparently, so can their parents!
I answer all the questions I can that my children ask…even if that means I turn to google for some help. Though some questions I save for daddy! I will have to remember this one about why the sky is blue just to see what the 5 yr old would have to say about that one as nothing else we have said or looked up has satisfied him at all.
So far the 4-year-old has not asked a question that we couldn’t at least make up a reasonable answer for if we didn’t actually know it. She mostly doesn’t bother asking questions, but just makes up things according to how she thinks it ought to work. For example, the sky is blue because rainbows show up better that way. Which works for me.
Honestly, I think I would just tell my kid that I don’t know why and ask him why he thinks it’s blue. We’ll wait and see. Fortunately I have a while until he is in full conversation mode. Guess I need to start studying up!