Questions Kids Ask

Written on May 2009
My kids ask a lot of questions and though not all parents like being bombarded with  them, Alvin and I do.  We delight in hearing our kids' thoughts and we really take time to answer each and every question they have.  And most of the time, one question would lead to another, and another, and another.

when Alvin and I attended a homeschool orientation, there was one statement that we will never forget. The speaker said that failure to address the questions is like starving our children and time would come when they would experience "lipas gutom".  They would lose their 'appetite' and this would lead them not to ask questions anymore simply because their hunger for knowledge was not met.  By answering their questions, (I'll borrow from a website), we are turning their 'Whys' into 'Wows'.

I tried to list several questions my kids asked in the past weeks. It was difficult for me to answer some (if not most) of them (LOL!) because I was never good in science.  Good thing, that's Alvin's forte. If he's not around, I would check google and research.  I won't stop until my answer satisfies their curiosity.  How do I know they are satisfied? They stop - for a time - giving me a breather of at least a few minutes or hours before they start asking a string of questions again.

Here are some of the questions that I was able to take down.

1.  Why are there no sides on a circle?
2.  Why are there no round TVs?  
3.  Mommy, Why cant I hold water on my hand?
4.  Mommy, why does water put off fire?
5.  Why cant you touch gas?
5.  Why do we have shadows?
7.  Mommy, can oysters swim?
8.  (One rainy day) Mommy, can Hawkman still fly if his wings get wet?
9.  (While helping mommy cook) Mommy, What makes the fire blue? and what makes it orange?
10. Why is the iron hot? Why do we need it to be hot for us to iron clothes?
11. What is a legend and what is a myth?
12. Why can we see ourselves in the mirror?
13. Daddy, Is it dark in outer space?
14. Dad, why do we float in outer space?
15. Mommy, how can I drive the space ship if I would float in outer space?
16. (while riding the MRT) Why don't we use steering wheels for trains?
17. Why are there bubbles on water?
18. Why are there bubbles when I rub my hands with soap?
19. Why are candies junk food? Why can't you just put milk in candies and make it healthy?
20. Mommy, why do girls pee sitting down?
21. why were the dinosaurs wiped out on earth? Why don't they exist today?
21. Are the dinosaurs good or bad?
22. What are the predators of the T-rex?
23. What is a pattern?
24. Why do people smoke if they know it is bad?
25. Why do people become old and die?
26. Why did Adam disobey?
27. Why can't Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the tree?
28. Why are light bulbs hot?
29. How can there be morning and night? why does it become dark at night?
30. Do animals go to heaven when they die?
31. Mommy, when Jesus fetches us and we will float on air, can a lightning hit me?


I don't only answer these questions for the purpose of satisfying Riel and Aethan's craving for knowledge but more so because I know that my answers will shape the way they view the world around them - most especially, their concept of God.  In Dt.6:7 it says that we should talk of God with our children 'when we sit in our house, when we walk by the way, when we lie down and when we rise' - practically every moment of the day - every time we get the opportunity.  Our kids need to appreciate the presence of God in everything they see.  They need to know that our God is the God of the universe and He is in control of everything.

This morning, while Riel is taking a bath, he said, "mommy...". (Hearing this, I braced myself for another series of questions) I answered, "Yes, baby?" He continued..."...Why does the water in the pail feel colder than the water coming out from the shower?"