The boy asks questions that are hard to answer...

I've told you before that sometimes I get exhausted by the questions my kids ask. I just thought I'd share a few of the the things Jake has asked about lately.

"Mom, what does "almost" mean?"


You'd think it would be easy, but it's not.


"Mom, what does 'the grand scheme of things' mean?"
Try explaining that without confusing the boy even more. I used words like "the big picture", and "what matters in the end"... what really matters in the grand scheme of things is that I said I didn't know.
In case you were wondering how he even has those words in his vocabulary, we have a book by Mo Willems (my favorite children's book author) that has the phrase in it.

He has these science books that he loves to look at. I read a few pages to him each day, but really he just likes to look at the pictures. I actually try to avoid the books. They are supposed to be for kids, but they talk about all things science and it only leads to impossible questions...

"what are molecules?"

"why doesn't plastic conduct electricity?"

"how do the waves that move from satellites turn into the things we watch on tv?"

"why does the atmosphere get thinner on Mt. Everest?"

The funny thing is, he is never satisfied with the answers I give. He always has his own reason and his explanation is usually better than what I say.

Tonight it was "Mom, how do they make hot dogs?" (like that is a question anyone wants to answer). Instead of ruining him for life by giving him the details you would find in Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle, I just said "pigs".

I'm afraid that this time, his explanation was way off. He sat for a minute and said "no, they are made from elephants"...whatever boy.

I know you can't really pin a career on a kid when he's five, but I do think Jake will really enjoy Biology and Science classes. That kind of stuff just speaks to him. It will be interesting to see if he continues to enjoy it.

I love the ages that my kids are in right now. They are just so eager to learn things and discover the world we live in. It's pretty cool when you think about it. Everything is new. I am so lucky to be a mom. It's so fun to know that I am helping this little boy learn about the world around him. Even if I don't always have all the answers, I think it's good enough for him. I remember thinking my parents were the smartest people in the world (until high school). It's fun to be the smartest person in the world to two little people.