REGULAR COLUMN
I don ’ t know whether to laugh or cry
GETTING DEEP
If like me , you have ( or have ever had a three-yearold ), you will have been taken to the upper reaches of your capacity to answer questions . Apparently , the average three-to-four-year-old will ask between 300 and 400 questions a day .
Sometimes I resort to “ Ask daddy , he knows a lot about that .”, or , “ I don ’ t know , let ’ s Google it later .” I have even been driven to use the old cliche , “ because Y is a crooked letter and you can ’ t make it straight .” However , when I am still feeling fresh-of-mind and in the mood to be ‘ engaging interesting mommy ’ I do partake in the neverending backwards and forwards of a conversation with a three-year-old .
These conversations often happen in the car as ( I suppose ), the child is strapped down with nothing to keep him busy other than his own over-active mind . Recently , one of these discussions took place and the topic was something really deep and philosophical . I can ’ t recall the exact question , but I decided to take it seriously and give him a well thought out and comprehensive answer that would shed light on some of his questions about life and death .
“ What do you mean ?”, I asked him . To which he replied , “ Mom , why did you turn down this road ?”
Okay , so perhaps not quite ready to engage with the answers to the questions that he asks , but enquiring enough to ask them . And while our children don ’ t always appear to be listening , they have the uncanny ability to surprise by turning our logic on us or using one of our phrases in context ( or out ). They really are little sponges , wired for learning and unrelentless in their pursuit of knowledge .
It ’ s a wonderful age , exhausting at times , but I recognise the opportunity to engage with and encourage my child to continue asking questions as he builds a foundation that he will stand on for the rest of his life .
I am going to have to learn the names of more dinosaurs and fish though . He is sure to catch on soon that I just keep rotating the same ones over and over again . by Anna Heydenrych
He sat quietly , listening as I rambled on in an attempt to communicate some complicated themes in a way that a three-year-old might be able to grasp . I was not entirely sure if the whole thing made sense but he didn ’ t interupt . When I finally came to the end of my monologue , there was a moment ’ s silence , and then he said to me , “ Mom , why are we here ?”. I was incredibly impressed by the ability of my pre-schooler to express such a deep and timeless question . But before I began a response , I caught myself .
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