I just looked over my posts from the past few weeks and noticed that none of them have had much depth. And, in some ways, this bothers me. But, then I remember that right now I’m in this season where I field hundreds of questions a day… questions that range from, “Why is the sky blue?” to “How do babies get in peoples’ tummies?” Questions like the one the Toddler asked me while we were walking the aisles of Dick’s Sporting Goods yesterday…
“Mommy, why do all of them not have heads?”
And, I can’t just spout off any old answer to a question like this since she’s listening intently and will definitely remember whatever I say… because the headless men are a really, really urgent matter to her in this moment.
And, then there’s the sort of question the Preschooler asked me last night while we were waiting for her swim lesson to start:
The Preschooler: Mommy, what are you going to be when we grow up?
Me: I don’t know. What do you think I should be?
The Preschooler: Maybe you can just still be our mommy.
Me: Yeah. And, maybe I can even be a grand-mommy some day.
The Preschooler: Oh, yeah. {thinking about that…} I know! You can be a babysitter to our kids.
Perfect. I’m glad we have that figured out because I was worried about what I would do if I ever had too much free time on my hands.
So many times I get annoyed by all the questions and conversations the girls are constantly bringing up… in the car, in the grocery store, during the movie, during dinner, while I’m trying to get us ready to leave, while I’m changing the Baby, etc, etc. And, I just want to yell, “Silence!! There will be no more questions for the rest of the day!! The next person who asks a question is going to time out!” {This is why some wise mother once invented the Quiet Game}.
But, then I stop and ask myself why it is that I’m so annoyed. What would I rather be doing? Browsing Facebook and reading random status updates from people I haven’t had a conversation with in years? Reading or watching the news so I could stay up to date on important matters like the marital status of Brad and Angelina? Checking an email inbox that’s largely loaded with junk mail from more retail establishments than I care to name? Playing on my phone so I can stay up to the minute on the latest games and apps that I should be downloading?
All of the above is good stuff, of course. In moderation and at the right time. And, I do all of the things listed above A LOT. But, I ran across this quote the other day:
Curiosity in children, is but an appetite for knowledge. One great reason why children abandon themselves wholly to silly pursuits and trifle away their time insipidly is, because they find their curiosity balked, and their inquiries neglected. {John Locke)
Well, that made me think. As annoying as the constant curiosity can be, I don’t want to be a balker. I’m just going to need a whole lot more patience to get through the day…
Of course, the Baby doesn’t ask questions or start conversations that require thoughtful dialogue just yet, but she comes up with her own special ways of getting attention. One of her favorite things to do right now is to find the corner of a blanket and roll herself up like a burrito every time I try to give her some floor time. Call me cautious, but this seems dangerous.
So, at the end of the day, my blog posts are shallow. But, hopefully, I’m doing my part to keep the curiosity… and the Baby… alive around here.
Your posts are hysterical. LOL at the whole SIRI thing, not to mention 'stupid Siri'. Re today's post. We are in a world of questions now too, and the latest has been (about everything) – "How did they make that?" I am so thankful when it's something of nature and I can easily reply "God made it" and breath a sigh of relief, but lately it's been the stuff manufactured in a plant, which is my response. BUt then I realized that a plant, to Seth, was what grows (occasionally) in our garden, and why would an M&M be made in a plant? So then I feel the need to go into great detail (or as much as my feeble brain has consumed in my life) about what I know about manufacturing said object. Maybe if I give TOO much detail, he'll quit asking. Hasn't worked so far. And thanks for the quote. THat is awesome.
I don't know what I'd do if I had to explain how things were made! I think the "whys" are hard enough. I'm so impressed that you have the patience to talk about manufacturing, distribution, etc. My girls will go to kindergarten thinking that God made the cars, the houses, the furniture, and so on 🙂