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> Most kids that I encounter now don't even bother to ask why or how a specific thing works. This kid gives me a lot of hope:) It is really up to the parents.

> Most kids that I encounter now don't even bother to ask why or how a specific thing works. This kid gives me a lot of hope:) It is really up to the parents. Extreme example, I remember having lunch with my cousins and one of them asked how a microwave worked. The dad, an engineer for IBM, disappeared and returned with a magnetron from his basement workshop. And then told his sons exactly how a microwave works. The eldest son is now an undergraduate studying physics. He was about ten at the time of the question. As a lesser example, my sister (who is not a Ph.D. like my cousins' father), loves BrainPop. BrainPop makes science fun without getting into too-many of the nitty-gritty details. Which is enough, when you are just 5. http://www.brainpop.com/topics http://www.brainpop.com/topics

dylangs1030 15y ago
I think it's also a cycle. If a parent is repeatedly dismissive of a child's questions, the child is conditioned not to ask them, and so becomes less inquisitive as a result of nurture. It's clearly not nature, as the generation isn't intrinsically different. Parents don't necessarily need to do something like the extreme example mentioned above, but they could certainly plant a seed by being more open to a lot of "Why?"'s, as annoying as it can be.
- wallflower 15y ago
  Reminds me of: "Children in professional families are talked to three times as much as the average child in a welfare family," Hart says. http://www.npr.org/2011/01/10/132740565/closing-the-achievement-gap-with-baby-talk http://www.npr.org/2011/01/10/132740565/closing-the-achievem...
- brc 15y ago
  I subscribe to this theory. My rules are: always answer a 'why' question without dismissal, unless it is repeated continuously as a game. Rule 2: always tell the truth, even if it is somewhat over the Childs ability to understand. I do not make things like fairies and magic up, except as an obvious fantasy story, and everything from gravity to stars and farming and manufacturing is explained to the best of my ability. I am constantly told how smart my son is, which I accept graciously, but in my head I like to say - that's because I don't fill his head with superstitious bullshit. One of my clearest memories of childhood was the constant disappointment of finding adults had been feeding me crap for years, either out of laziness or ignorance.

dylangs1030 15y ago

I think it's also a cycle. If a parent is repeatedly dismissive of a child's questions, the child is conditioned not to ask them, and so becomes less inquisitive as a result of nurture. It's clearly not nature, as the generation isn't intrinsically different. Parents don't necessarily need to do something like the extreme example mentioned above, but they could certainly plant a seed by being more open to a lot of "Why?"'s, as annoying as it can be.

wallflower 15y ago
Reminds me of: "Children in professional families are talked to three times as much as the average child in a welfare family," Hart says. http://www.npr.org/2011/01/10/132740565/closing-the-achievement-gap-with-baby-talk http://www.npr.org/2011/01/10/132740565/closing-the-achievem...
brc 15y ago
I subscribe to this theory. My rules are: always answer a 'why' question without dismissal, unless it is repeated continuously as a game. Rule 2: always tell the truth, even if it is somewhat over the Childs ability to understand. I do not make things like fairies and magic up, except as an obvious fantasy story, and everything from gravity to stars and farming and manufacturing is explained to the best of my ability. I am constantly told how smart my son is, which I accept graciously, but in my head I like to say - that's because I don't fill his head with superstitious bullshit. One of my clearest memories of childhood was the constant disappointment of finding adults had been feeding me crap for years, either out of laziness or ignorance.