make milk for their calf?” “Why do we drink it?” “Because it tastes good and strengthens our bones?” “Why do we need strong bones?” “Otherwise our bones would break.” “Why?” “Because they are weak.” “Why?” “Because we don’t have enough calcium.” “Why?” “Because that is what is needed to strengthen our bones.” “Why?” “That is enough Junior, go ask someone else.”
Ever been in a conversation like that? I remember being on both
sides of that dialogue.
As a parent it feels like the child is not sincere in their questions any more, they are just flippantly throwing out the question “why?”,so it is frustrating and time to quit.
As a child I can remember being in the car with my mom asking her questions. I was having the time of my life and enjoying her answers, when suddenly she said “enough”. It hurt. It wasn’t devastating, just surprising. Why were we so suddenly done with this stimulating back and forth?
I am not saying these crazy “why” conversations are golden, nor
that they need to continue until the child tires of them. There definitely comes a time when enough is enough.
Yet, “Why?” is a very important question and I believe we need to bring it back into our child’s life as they mature.
The shutting down of asking why lingers into our lives as we grow
up. We continue to think it is wrong to ask why. When in reality, one of the most important questions we can ask is “Why?”
If we can determine and declare why we do what we do, we are much less likely to be blown around by every idea that crosses our paths. If our whys are based on God’s Word, then we have a firm foundation on which to stand.
Often we can tell others what we do and even how we do it, but
can we tell them why.
“Why?” is really the most important question. Start asking
yourself, “Why?” and then pass that knowledge on to your children, so they will not just ask why, but KNOW why.