If Your Kid Keeps Asking ‘Why,’ Give Them an Answer

If Your Kid Keeps Asking ‘Why,’ Give Them an Answer

Your kid’s constant questions might be annoying but they offer a unique chance to shape their developing brains(brān)

By Neha Chaudhary

I hopped diagonally(dīˈagənlē) from one fallen leaf(lēf) to another, hearing them crinkle(ˈkriNGkəl) under my little 3-year-old feet. I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes wide. “Mama, why do flowers have petals(ˈpedl)?”

“To look pretty, so that insects(ˈinˌsekt) and birds come to them,” my mother answered.

“Mama, why are those things sticking(stik) out?” I asked.

“That’s the stamen(ˈstāmin),” she responded. She went on to explain pollination(ˌpäləˈnāSH(ə)n), gently nudging(nəj) me forward. An hour later, we were still only several yards from the house, yet had covered composting(ˈkämˌpōst), aerodynamics(ˌerōˌdīˈnamik) of planes, and why ants were crawling(krôl) over a browned(broun) apple core on the ground. All in a day’s nature walk.

Now, as a child psychiatrist(sīˈkīətrəst, səˈkīətrəst) who guides parents through the development of their young ones, I realize how important it was that my mother answered all of those questions, even when it must have been tiresome(ˈtīrsəm). It turns out that by answering and asking questions, parents play a vital(ˈvīdl) role in a child’s learning. By paying attention to this simple — sometimes annoying — phenomenon(-nən,fəˈnäməˌnän), parents may help shape their child’s development and better set them up for longer term success.

Research has shown that the more motivated kids are to learn early in life, the more likely they will be successful later. In 1979, researchers at California State University, Fullerton(ˈfo͝olərtən), began following 130 infants(ˈinfənt) all the way through adulthood, amassing(əˈmas) 17,000 data points per person. They tested the kids at regular intervals until age 17 and then surveyed(sərˈvā) them in adulthood. The unique 30-year project, called the Fullerton Longitudinal(ˌlänjəˈt(y)o͞od(ə)nəl) Study, found that, independent of IQ, kids who were especially curious and enjoyed learning scored higher on standardized(ˈstandərˌdīz) tests, were more likely to stay in school, and were more likely to go to graduate(ˈɡrajəˌwāt) school than their less curious peers.…

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/parenting/kids-asking-questions-development.html