When They Don’t Ask Questions

A typical four year old asks questions, often constantly ad nauseum. My children ask questions, too, but most of the time I’m finding that they keep their questions to themselves. Some parents don’t like questions and discourage their children from asking them. If I discourage questions, it’s because I take them too seriously. Maybe I should start the “long or short answer?” question.

I’ve discovered it’s mostly their personality, not simply the absence of curiosity or inquisitiveness. I’ve also figured out that if I can anticipate or predict a question, I open up the door for more communication. When a strange child is throwing a tantrum in the store, if I broach the subject, they want to talk about it (briefly, without mom going into lecture mode, of course).  If I’m not doing right, they know about it and aren’t saying much, but if I say “Mom wasn’t doing her responsibilities like she should, and now I’m going to ask God to forgive me and help me do right” they listen.

I do have other clues. I watch their eyes. Even a baby tells me what she is interested in by what she watches. When the response is keen interest, when they ask followup questions, I know again that I’ve gotten it right.