Hey Mama Monday: Always Curious, Always Learning

Hey Mama,

Homeschooling can be a wild ride!

I wasn’t trained to be a homeschool mama. Who is? But hey, it’s fun. I like having my kids with me, and they’re learning! However, it’s the questions that drive me batty.

A question here, a comment there–this is fine; don’t get me wrong. But imagine the never-ending question. The answer that won’t satisfy. The conversation that has no finale. One of my sons has questions for me that he fires from a vocal cannon, which once loaded, can discharge for hours. When they begin to flow, my eyeballs start twitching. My hands sweat and my hair rises. Hide me.

This boy (we have four) has asked the oddest things (and I paraphrase, below) since the day he could talk. He learned to chatter early, and quite well–definitely before I was ready.

I should have known that wacky questions from my little fireball of energy would follow. Many of you, with your own kiddos, can relate, I’m sure. My son has an imagination that will not stop.

Age 2:

“Mommy, do chickens eat cookies?”

“Ummm … no. I don’t believe they do.”

“Why not?”

“Well, they were not made to eat cookies.”

“Yes, but do chickens have lips?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. No, they have a beak. Hey, look, we’re almost at the park. Do you have your water bottle?”

Conversations with a 9-year-old can be just as offbeat. Like the time this same funny boy was concerned that our dog, Liesel, possibly thought he was just a fellow canine.

He said, “Mom, how do you know that she knows I’m a person? Maybe she thinks I’m another dog. I don’t want her to think I’m like the other dogs. I’m really human. Do you think she knows?”

“Yes, Son, she knows.”

“But how do you know? She can’t see herself, so she may not know what she is, or what I am.”

“Trust me. She knows she’s a dog and you’re a boy.”

“But how do you know?”

“I just do. She is quite aware that you are NOT a dog like her.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Go clean your room.”

Years later…

“Can my hen climb down a tree?”

“No, that would be impossible.”

“I put her up there and she’s cackling.”

“What on earth … how high?”

“Really high.”

“Which tree?”

“You know … that pine tree out front. And the rooster is at the bottom, all nervous.”

“Well, I’d be, too, if my spouse were trapped in a tree! Go get her down!”

Now that he is older, the questions aren’t so unbaked. Instead, they’re really intense. Lately I hear myself saying, “Go ask Dad. That’s a dad question.”

This “ever-curiousness” seems to be the norm in homeschool families. The kids are hanging out with their parents, so they ask grown-up questions earlier. They are afforded individual attention, so their time is better spent learning.

Keep up the good work and when you’re tempted to rip out your hair, remember that your little talker will someday be a brainy adult … an independent thinker who will make a positive societal impact. To be sure, you are giving him an opportunity that is unmatched. Enjoy the ride!

~ gena