MIND-FULL PARENTING – Chapter 1: A Curious Mind

 

“MILLIONS SAW THE APPLE FALL, BUT NEWTON ASKED WHY” is a famous quote by Bernard Baruch. And like most of the modern parents, I said to myself ‘ I will answer all the QUESTIONS my child asks’.

Not so soon, this urge to answer all her questions started seeing diminishing marginal utility! My LO (A millennial term for Little One) who is now 6 years of age, has always been a curious child and continues to be so and I feel proud about it. Also, it’s because she makes me feel like I am her Google Assist!!

Apart from the usual questions which children tend to ask, she one day came and asked me – Mom, why are numbers called numbers! And I sneakily asked Google, and all I got was an Oxford dictionary definition of what numbers are. Before I could answer this by making up an answer. I got bombarded with another - Why is teacher called a teacher? How do eyelids work? Why do you work? Why don’t I work? Why does the earth work????? The 4G in my phone also couldn’t match the speed with which these questions were coming.

And mind you, these questions can come to you firstly, ANYTIME (though most of it, is when you tell the LO its sleep time!), secondly, they can come ANYWHERE (the most favorite place is when you have switched on the shower and a little teeny voice waiting outside the bathroom asks “Mom can I ask you something?”, and you know it’s the end of your good times) and thirdly, they are also WITHOUT ANY FILTERS (Try taking them to friends/relative’s house, and the LO has to ask at least one awkward question) 😊

What amazes me, is that these questions are never directed to the other living being in the house who has equal contribution to get the LO in the world.  As they say, good or bad the mother is always responsible to answer.

Having said that, I realized, no matter how many questions I get in a day, no matter how silly or even annoying it can be, it’s very important to give a LOGICAL ANSWER. This logic need not be proven by any scientist in the world, but it should be good enough to make the LO satisfied and convinced, and can help the LO gear up for another round of questions.

In previous generations, children were generally subdued and not encouraged to ask questions, as asking questions was thought be ill-mannered and rude. With changing times and evolving generations, parenting thought process are also seeing a change. And its so important to be MINDFUL of it.  It shouldn’t be “no more questions! Or” stop asking so many questions” or “just do as i say” or even saying, “google it”. It should be more of “IT’S A VALID QUESTION, LET ME GET BACK TO YOU” or “LETS SEARCH FOR THE ANSWER TOGETHER”

Every child need not be Newton, but has to be given a fair opportunity, to want to be one.  To ask questions is an ability that all children have, and the responsibility to encourage this ability lies with BOTH parents.

Remember MINDFUL PARENTING HACK 101: Children can grow in to better beings, only if we evolve with them.

CIAO