Questions

I just spent the last half an hour thinking up and explaining all of the least serious reasons I could think of as to why an ambulance might be down the street in front of a nearby home, to my 6 year old, Elaina. "Mom, do you think it is a lady? or a dad? or a kid? I hope it isn't a kid! or a BABY!? What if they are scared? Do you think somebody rode in the ambulance with them? Was it a grandma? Why do dogs die? Who is my guardian angel? I think my guardian angel is a dog. What does an ambulance look like? Should we go down there to their house? I think we should go down there." Right about now I am wishing I had put room darkening shades in Elaina's room. They have so many questions. And the crazy thing is, they think I have the answers. When my kids find out I am totally winging it, I will be so screwed. I (35 yrs old) still call my mom with questions. I recently called and asked her: how long chicken is good in the fridge, how I am supposed to be all the places I am supposed to be and do homework with the kids and finish my laundry and dishes and remain sane, if she liked me when I was a kid, if it was ok if a child never learned to tell time, how Beano works (or doesn't work), if my son was going to hurt himself while throwing a fit upstairs in his room. The list is endless. And so I realize, there will be no end to the questions from my children. So, is the real trick to know these answers perfectly, or is the real trick to keep my children's confidence in me and trust in me, so that they keep asking ME the questions? I had a professor of psychology who every time a student asked a question began his response with, "that's a good question..." We always felt so comfortable raising our hands in his class, therefore we participated much more in class (that's why he was the psych teacher). I'm going to work on this. I get endless questions daily. The "whys" from the 4 and 6 yr old are in the thousands easily. Sometimes I just feel I can't answer another "why." But, if I think of patiently answering that "why" as a little step towards gaining my child's confidence and trust, so that when he is a teenager and wants to know "how do I know if a girl likes me? or Why won't you let me go to that party?" hopefully he will at least feel comfortable asking and at best really believe and trust my answers. (disclaimer: every now and then a "why" just needs the response, "because I am the mom and I said so." But you know which "whys" those are.) also: -today Jack(9) rigged up his pedal car to pull a wagon with two siblings for a ride around the driveway (no wonder they adore him) -after having not seen me all day, Ben(4) ran up to me with arms outstretched and said, "hey I almost forgot my hug!"