Recently I was reading a blog post by Kelle Hampton where she was answering her five-year old daughter’s questions about death. The post got me thinking about the questions that kids are known to ask. I’ve heard many a parents mention how their child asks never ending questions about everything from the important to the miniscule, curious to learn how the world around them works.
I was touched by Kelle’s thoughtfulness in answering her daughter’s question. But I was also heavy-hearted. My thoughts, as always, turned to Champion and I began, as I have been lately, to wonder what questions he may have. He is now three and beginning to explore more of the world around him. We recently got him a wheelchair van and for the first time he’s able to look out the window as we drive. I catch him looking in awe at the cars zooming by, the buildings coming in and out of view, the trees lining the street.
I wonder what he’s thinking. What questions does he want to ask? What answers does he want me to give him? What does think about trees? Does he wonder what flowers are? Does he wonder how tv works? Does he wonder why there are different colors? What does he think about Daddy leaving to go to work? Does he wonder what work is? Have I done a good job answering the questions I think he has?
It breaks my heart to not know. Even more to think of the deeper questions he may have. Does he wonder why he is not yet walking on his own? Does he wonder why others form words and speak so freely and why it takes him a concerted amount of effort to utter a few words? What things scare him that he needs me to reassure him about? Does he wonder why he’s different? Is he happy? Does he really really know how much we love him?
As he grows older and as life happens, I wonder what questions I should be answering for him. I don’t want to answer questions to soon, before he is thinking them, but I don’t want to leave him with unasked unanswered questions either.
And so I pray. And I cry. And I hope that I will know what to say to him. What things to teach him. What answers to give him. I pray that I will know, as we wait for more words to come, what he needs reassuring in. What he needs comfort in. I pray that I will know what hard questions he may be asking and I pray even more that I will have the words to answer them, whether I know the answer or not, I pray that I can provide him with the dialogue he needs.
I would love to hear from you. If you have kids, nieces, nephews, and they are talkers, what questions do they have in their toddler years? If you are around kids who are non or semi verbal what strategies have you used to answer the unasked questions?
Linked Up at : Love that Max: Special Needs Weekend Blogger Link Up (Happens every Friday!)
Linked Up at : Pour Your Heart Out (Happens Every Wednesday!)
My daughters (7&3) both LOVE to know the how’s and why’s…of everything. Why does the wind blow? Why is the sky blue? Why do the clouds move? Why does the stove get hot? How do batteries make that toy work? How do seeds turn into real plants we can eat? How do you find the star in the middle of an apple? Why did God send Jesus to die on the cross for our sins? Why do we have matching skin and hair? How did that woman’s baby get in her belly (for now – God put it there is enough information!)? How does the inside of this toy look?
I can’t give advice because I don’t have a special needs child but I truly admire you for what you do and I hope these questions help to spark some ideas for you 🙂
Thank you so much for letting me know the questions your daughters love to know the answers to! They have definitely sparked some ideas for me 🙂
I hope you get to answer his questions soon. This was a beautiful post.
Thank you so much Adrienne!
It’s the why’s here, too. Look around the world with wonder. Why is the sky blue? Why is it raining? Why do we have to stop at red lights? Why, why, why. 🙂
Thank you Shell for sharing what your kids are asking. This age group seems to be pretty motivated by knowing the whys of things. Hopefully by trying to explain the whys I’m answering the questions he has.
I wish I knew the questions too. I like reading people’s comments because they help me too. My son has a severe speech delay so it hurts that I can’t have conversations with him. Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you’ve found the comments helpful too. I never valued communication so much till I have watched my son struggle so much with it. My heart goes out to you also as you navigate through speech delay with your son. I am praying that one day we will both be able to have the conversations I know we desperately desire to have with our sons.