Inquiring Minds Wanna Know

I have three children. All of them are intelligent and creative and think things I never woulda thunk when I was their age. Or if I did think those things, I usually just kept my inquisitions to myself. But not my daughter. Nope. She is an asker.

As a toddler...

Her: Why is the sky blue, Mommy?

Me: Because it just is.

Her: But WHY, Mommy?

Me: Because God made it that way.

Her: Why did God make it that way, Mommy?

Me: Uh... I don't know. Ask God.

As a kindergartener...

Her: How did popcorn get invented?

Me: I don't know. I suppose that someone dropped some kernals into hot oil on accident.

Her: But what made them think to taste it to see if it was good?

Me: Um... ask God?

As a 2nd grader...

Her: So, I've heard that tomatoes are fruits, is that true?

Me: Yup.

Her: What's the difference between fruits and vegetables then?

Me: Um... fruits are of the vine?

Her: Apples don't grow on vines. And would that mean a pumpkin is a fruit?

Me: Oh, well, then I think that fruit have flowers first.

Her: Bananas don't start off as flowers.

Me: Google it?

Fast forward.

The types of questions my 5th grader has asked as of late:

Is a pineapple a citrus fruit? What about a coconut? Is that even a fruit at all or is it a nut? And while we're on the subject, Avocados have a really huge pit -- perhaps that is really a nut of sorts. And why exactly were the Montagues and Capulets at odds with each other? I mean, why all the brawling in the streets? And if the Latin meaning of the word Amat means "love", and the root of the word Amateur is the Latin word "amat", then shouldn't the word Amateur have something to do with love? Why do phobias all have weird names? And why are they all Greek words? You're what, twenty-something years older than me? That means you'll be eighty-something years old when Halley's comet comes around again? And is it pronounced Hal-lee's or Hay-lee's? I've heard people say it both ways. What's the weather going to be like tomorrow?

My answers?

I don't know, Google it. Not sure, did you Google it? That's a good question, you should Google it. Um... oh look, Greg on Facebook says... Check Wikipedia for that one. I don't know, they just do. Yes. I suppose. I don't really know... I guess you could Google it. Check weather.com.

When I say Inquiring Minds Wanna Know, I wasn't kidding. She has questions for just about anything, at any time, any where. The wheels in her head are always turning. Always.

But, I must say, she comes by it honestly. Her Granddad is like that. He wonders and thinks and finally tinkers with the things that he thunk, which makes him a tink. hehe.

Since she was in Kindergarten she's wanted to be a pediatric nurse. But she is always curious about space and the stars and planets and about weather and the environment and animals, etc. I think this girl is a Scientist. I can easily see her become a research nurse, if there were ever such a thing. When she has a question about something, she doesn't let go until she finds the answer or solution. I think this is why she'd make a great researcher or scientist or doctor or even nurse.

To all of those questions she's asked over the years, she will often research and find out the truth for herself. And then of course she will share her new found knowledge with me. Haha.

Am I smarter than a Fifth-Grader? Not always! :)