So many questions...

When I was teaching sex ed, I worked with parents on how to talk with their kids when hard questions came up. The answer is always to answer matter of factly with truth and honesty. Then wait. Kids will ask a follow up if they don't understand or ask nothing more if their curiosity is satisfied. What you don't want to happen is that they don't ask another question because you have either just stretched the truth or shut down their question entirely. Kids know, and then they won't ask again.

I work really hard to instill this with my kids, answering away as the questions come up. I want to share a series of questions from the other night, a seven minute drive home from a gas station...just so you know you're not alone.

"Why don't we celebrate Kwanzaa or Hanukkah?"

"Can we celebrate them?"

"Do we know anyone who does celebrate them?"

"Who?"

"Why can't we celebrate Kwanzaa, again?"

"Why do we celebrate Christmas, again?"

"What is Christian?"

"What is Daddy?"

"What are you?"

"Well then what am I?"

"I have a question not about Christmas...how do people decide who is going to change their last name when they get married?"

"Do you have to have a last name?"

"What about if a boy marries a boy?"

"Or a girl marries a girl?"

"Why can't brothers and sisters get married again?"

"What does it mean that babies have differences when they are born?"

"How does that happen?"

"Then who am I going to marry?"

"One more...can a person have a baby and not be married?"

Cue dinner a few minutes later...

"I think I should be a scientist because I really like to ask questions, huh Mom?"