Mommy Do Penguins Have Thumbs?
This might seem like a really crazy question, but it was one posed to me a couple of days ago by my littlest angel, Mason. We were working together outside…he loves to help Mommy work…and we were carrying on a typical ‘4-year-old to Mommy’ conversation when he came up with this puzzler. Parenting is sheer joy!
Now I should explain that, like many kiddos his age, Mason is a very inquisitive child. “Why”, “How come”, and “What for” are the main vocabulary selections for this little guy.
I have always been of the mindset that I need to answer all of my childrens’ questions to the best of my ability instead of just saying “because”, as I believe that it is important for so many reasons. Parenting effectively, honestly, demands that I do.
There is a Reason They Are Asking Questions
So, here’s my reasoning. When a child asks a question, there are several motives behind it. It could be the need for attention, feeling valued, not forgotten; of course, they want to know the answer, because they have curious little minds; they are learning all of the time.
…even if you don’t answer the question, they are learning.
Then, that begs the question, if we don’t answer, what are they learning? They may be learning that the things that are important to them are just not important to you. And, believe me, penguins and thumbs, at that moment in time, were very important to him.
On to the Crazy Question….
We had been working along for a good little stretch at the time of this most important question and, as is usual for him, he had been asking me LOTS of questions. I was answering, but I was continuing to work at the same time. When he posed this particular question, I had to stop.
I couldn’t help myself–not only because it totally threw me…for a minute I couldn’t really give an intelligent answer…searching my brain, “Do penguins have thumbs?”
What I realized, however, is that what he really needed, other than the thumb answer, was for Mommy to stop for a minute and have a real conversation with him.
Parenting Requires Listening…and Answering
When we were through talking about penguins and thumbs, he gave me a big hug, told me that he loved me and then we continued on with our work. It didn’t take too much time out of my schedule, I still finished my task, but my rewards, for having stopped for a few minutes to have a ‘heart to heart’ with this precious little boy were more profound than anything else that could have happened that day.
He knows that his Mommy loves him and that she sees importance in his thoughts. He knows that Mommy will always be here to listen to him and talk with him and that is such an important thing for children to know as they get older; that no matter what is on their little minds, they can feel assured that it is important to Mom and she will be there to listen.
Parenting is a difficult task, to be sure, but it is one of the most wonderful blessings in life. I truly am blessed by God. He allowed me to be the mother, the keeper, of these precious children; His children. By following Him in caring for my children, He is blessing their lives, through me.
God is a Parent Too
He is there to listen to us when we need to talk. And I know, from personal experience that when I go to Him in prayer, I can feel Him listening and I am comforted; much in the same way that Mason was comforted that I took the time to have the penguins and thumbs conversation with him.
It is my hope and prayer that I always remember how important these questions and conversations truly are. Time rushes by so quickly and if we don’t stop to have these small but meaningful conversations with our children, then we have missed out on so much, and by extension, we cause them to miss out as well.
More Ways to Connect
We also, as a homesteading family, have three additional blogs that might interest you. Two Oaks Farm Talk concerns the more technical side of homesteading. We discuss subjects like gardening, food prep, and farm building and construction with lots of tutorials!
Farm Raised Family is basically a hub for everything under the Two Oaks Farmstead umbrella. You can learn a great deal about all parts of the farmstead there. The Farm Raised Family blog focuses on financial matters such as budgeting, saving, and more and on current events affecting families.
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Thanks Amy, that was a great message and it really hit home for me. I need to be sure to take time to just talk to my kids, even about penguins and thumbs!
This reminds me of when Christian was four years old, riding in the car with memaw and papa, and he asked, (out of the blue I might add) “Do skunks like the way they smell?” I truly had never thought about it. And after much laughter, there was quite a discussion.