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As a corollary to this, perhaps one of the most heartbreaking moments for a kid whose parents welcome their questions and feed them information is when you fina
by NamTaf 14y ago
As a corollary to this, perhaps one of the most heartbreaking moments for a kid whose parents welcome their questions and feed them information is when you finally discover they don't actually know everything and that you've exhausted their ability to teach about a certain topic. I remember reaching that point several times and it always upset me, all the way from first playing around with computers and dad not having all the answers, to finally getting to maths beyond what either of my parents were taught towards the end of my high schooling.
It's upsetting, but I guess it's also gratifying if you can step back from the moment and realise that it means you're also becoming just as wise as those who you've always looked up to. That's powerful.
- phurley 14y agoI have three children and they frequently will ask me question that either I never knew, or have long since forgotten. I take these times to demonstrate another lesson -- how to learn. When I was a child it would end up with a trip to the encyclopedia (we were a Collier's family) and if that did not satisfy our needs, a visit to the library. A few times, we have had to visit the library, generally so my kids can check out a book or two on a specific interest, as the internet/wikipedia/kahn academy now have so much content there are few things an interested mind cannot learn. I think it is very important for children to learn how to learn and how to admit when you don't know something.
- lilsunnybee 14y agoi don't have any kids of my own, but have had plenty of opportunities to babysit. what i always do if kids ask a question i don't know is tell them i don't know, but lets go look it up. Then i go on my phone or on a computer to wikipedia and look it up with the kids right there. Even if the kids aren't able to read yet, there are pictures and you can explain it to them as you learn it yourself. I'm hoping i might spark their curiosity this way, and also once they're a little older the desire to go and research something that they don't know but are curious about.