It has begun...
In the last few days, a new sound has begun to ring out throughout the Allen household...
No, it's not Isaac asking Auntie Sib to read him the horribly establishmentarian Richard Scarry book for the umpteenth time...
It's what we call in the sales training business: Open ended questions.
Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
With the most popular being "Why?"
Questions for the last three days have been, well, constant.
Years ago I babysat a little girl who lived three doors down, and one night I went over to watch her for the evening, and her mom and dad (Roxanne and Rick, as I recall) said, "Oh, she's full of questions tonight."
I distinctly remember every sentance out of her mouth starting with why, and my answers just leading to even more why questions.
I also remember that by the end of the night, I needed a good stiff drink, which for my 12-13 year old self was probably Lemonade.
So I know what's coming. I know the questions are going to start going from morning to night, with every answer just prompting more questions...We're bracing for it.
But today I managed to stump him twice.
"Why is Auntie Sib taking a shower?"
"Why not?"
No reply, and he changed the subject, that was promising.
"What colour are the grapes?"
"What colour do you think they are?"
"Greeeeeeeen." with a big grin. But no follow up questions. I was waiting for "why are they green?" and then having to explain photosynthesis. I think he's ready for it.
That's the most frustrating part, though. Most of the questions he knows the answers to, he just likes making Mommy and Daddy do his bidding by answering them all the time.
The key will be to indentify the questions he really doesn't know the answer to, and answer so thoroughly that there will be no need for a follow up question...
Which brings me to coming into the living room the other evening, and hearing Sib say "...and there are hundreds and hundreds of neurons in there, and they all go zap zap zap and fire at once, and the energy bounces around..." rubbing his head vigorously here..."...and that's how we become conscious."
"Your teaching my son Neurochemistry?" I ask in disbelief.
"No," she replies. "Metaphysics. For some reason I was explaining the seat of consciousness. I'm not really sure how we got on the subject."
This led me to two observations.
1. They key to stemming the flow of questions is to absolutely baffle him with the answer, and
2. Even so, he won't stay baffled for long. As he processes it slowly over the course of the next few weeks, the follow up questions will come. Unfortunately, I think I know what's going to happen. He's going to be at the Day Home, and look up at Laura and say "La-la. Are my neurons firing?"
And after she has picked her jaw up off the floor, she will have to say, "Yes, Isaac. Constantly."
In the last few days, a new sound has begun to ring out throughout the Allen household...
No, it's not Isaac asking Auntie Sib to read him the horribly establishmentarian Richard Scarry book for the umpteenth time...
It's what we call in the sales training business: Open ended questions.
Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
With the most popular being "Why?"
Questions for the last three days have been, well, constant.
Years ago I babysat a little girl who lived three doors down, and one night I went over to watch her for the evening, and her mom and dad (Roxanne and Rick, as I recall) said, "Oh, she's full of questions tonight."
I distinctly remember every sentance out of her mouth starting with why, and my answers just leading to even more why questions.
I also remember that by the end of the night, I needed a good stiff drink, which for my 12-13 year old self was probably Lemonade.
So I know what's coming. I know the questions are going to start going from morning to night, with every answer just prompting more questions...We're bracing for it.
But today I managed to stump him twice.
"Why is Auntie Sib taking a shower?"
"Why not?"
No reply, and he changed the subject, that was promising.
"What colour are the grapes?"
"What colour do you think they are?"
"Greeeeeeeen." with a big grin. But no follow up questions. I was waiting for "why are they green?" and then having to explain photosynthesis. I think he's ready for it.
That's the most frustrating part, though. Most of the questions he knows the answers to, he just likes making Mommy and Daddy do his bidding by answering them all the time.
The key will be to indentify the questions he really doesn't know the answer to, and answer so thoroughly that there will be no need for a follow up question...
Which brings me to coming into the living room the other evening, and hearing Sib say "...and there are hundreds and hundreds of neurons in there, and they all go zap zap zap and fire at once, and the energy bounces around..." rubbing his head vigorously here..."...and that's how we become conscious."
"Your teaching my son Neurochemistry?" I ask in disbelief.
"No," she replies. "Metaphysics. For some reason I was explaining the seat of consciousness. I'm not really sure how we got on the subject."
This led me to two observations.
1. They key to stemming the flow of questions is to absolutely baffle him with the answer, and
2. Even so, he won't stay baffled for long. As he processes it slowly over the course of the next few weeks, the follow up questions will come. Unfortunately, I think I know what's going to happen. He's going to be at the Day Home, and look up at Laura and say "La-la. Are my neurons firing?"
And after she has picked her jaw up off the floor, she will have to say, "Yes, Isaac. Constantly."
posted by Jason Allen at 10:19 PM
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