Surviving The Never-Ending Questions From Kids

Steven Cribbs    Parenting    

It’s like fingernails scraping across a blackboard.  When the kids were young, and more short-winded, it was cute.  It would come out of their mouth and I would get the “ahhh…how sweet” feeling.

But, the older the kids get, the endless sea of words continues to increase.  Question after question until I just can’t take it anymore.  If you have kids or have spent much time around children, I bet you know exactly what I mean…

Daddy, how old are the mountains?  Daddy, how do trees grow?  Daddy, what does precocious mean?  Why?  Why not?  Daddy, why does grandpa smell that way?  Daddy, why does Darth Vader wear a mask and sound so funny?  Daddy, when will I live in heaven?  Daddy, what is divorce?  Daddy, when will I get to drive?

Face it.  Children ask a lot of questions.  It is the way they were created.  It is what fuels their brain development.  It is how they learn about the world around them.  When they are young, the questions are almost comical.  As they get older, the questions can be complex, hard and even scary to answer.  But, frankly, read more