A. Shafika Al -Ghazra
The father was surprised by the question of his three -year -old son: How many times are my father? The father stuttered, and his mind did not help him with an answer worthy of a small mind looking for the truth in an innocent language that does not know the metaphor.
There are many questions that our children direct us, and we may have been raised or raised in us something of distress, for nothing but that we may not always have the appropriate answer or the language that convinces them, so we sometimes resort to silence, or we offer it to ignore, so we close a door of discovery and understanding they have, and they are in desperate need for those who enlighten them the way towards knowledge and reassurance.
In this young age, the child does not distinguish completely between truth and imagination, but he hears about death and sees him in passing scenes, or hears it from confused words, hiding feelings of anxiety that is not improved, so that inside it is mysterious images and troubled feelings, so he imagines it like sleeping or temporary absence, and he may think it is repeated, so whoever dismantles its symbols, and dissolves what the small heart is heavier.
It is normal not to be intended behind his question a detailed explanation or educational information, but his question may be an appeal to internal reassurance, and to hear the phrase that dispels his anxiety, such as: “I have not died or once, my little one, I am still alive with you, and I will be by you.” So this phrase will be given a kind of reassurance and safety.
So we parents and educators should not close the door of questions in the face of our children, but rather leave it as a legislator in front of their curiosity, so every question they ask is a thread that leads us to the inner worlds that need us to contain and understand. Let us listen to them with all interest, without boycotting or underestimating. Even the simplest questions may hide feelings and needs waiting for those who pick them up.
And to make our answers within the reach of their small minds, with clear and simple words, and if we are unable to answer, let’s say with confidence: Let me search to answer you. Thus, we cultivate the love of knowledge in their souls, and we guide them to the way to search for the truth themselves. Every question that your child asks is not just words, but rather a gateway to their minds and hearts to get to know the thoughts and questions in which they are roaming, and then answering them because it is one of the pillars of their mental, cognitive and psychological growth that contributes to building their personality, so whoever is better dealing with them is a relationship based on trust.
