Why?

I know that little kids who are almost 5 ask a lot of questions. I know that and have lived through it twice before with my daughters. Autumn was an incessant questioner and remains to be this way today. The current question from her is, "But mom, its my face! Its just a tiny piercing under my eye. What's the big deal?" And to be honest, I don't have a rational answer for an irrational question. I can only think as far as, "Because MY mom will kick MY butt if I say yes." And so won't my sisters. But I digress...

I need to come at this from the right place. I love that Seth wants to know absolutely everything about absolutely everything. But the questions get harder the more I play along. And then I feel stupid for not knowing how the electrical current from the panel in the basement can travel through the house and magically turn on lights. It just does. That's it. It happens because little elves blow on the wires throughout the walls for all I know. But that would just lead to, "Why elves?" "How did they get in there?" "Who is their mom and dad?" "Do they like broccoli?" "Do they like chocolate milk and the Meatball movie?"

I decided to see how long he could keep the questions coming last night. This was an exercise in futility because apparently the answer is, "Until he falls asleep."

It went like this:

"Mommy, what's for supper?" (innocent enough)

"Meatloaf and rice and broccoli. Are you hungry?"

"Yes. But why?"

"Why what? Why are we having meatloaf?"

"Nooooo... why am I hungry?"

"Well, because there is no food in your tummy."

"Oh. How come? Because I didn't eat my lunch?"

"Sure. But why didn't you eat lunch?"

"I did. Why is it hungry then?"

"Well, when you eat food, your tummy turns it into little itty bitty pieces and your body takes those pieces and uses them for energy."

"Oh. What's energy for?"

"Well, energy is what makes you awake, its what makes you move and see and smell and it keeps your whole body doing all the kids of things you need to stay alive."

"Oh. So I won't be dead?"

"Yes, Seth. So you won't be dead."

"Then I'll be an angel?"

"Yes."

"With Mulligan and Patrick? They don't have energy?"

"Well, not the same kind of energy we get from food."

"What kind?"

"Well, its a special energy that is in your soul. After you die, you don't have a body anymore. You're just your soul and energy."

"What a soul?"

"A soul is what is inside of you and its what makes you... you. Its something that God puts inside of all people and all animals that makes us special. You have a soul, JP has a soul and mommy and daddy and everyone. But they are different souls for all of us."

"Oh. That's cool. Can I have my meatloaf now?"

This continued for the rest of the meal. These questions about where, why and how and who and when. A simple, "What's for dinner?" can lead to questions about metaphysics, death and the inner workings of the digestive system.

This never, never, never, ever ends for Seth. Every little thing around him is a mystery that he devours and dissasembles. It is exhausting and at times even annoying. Mostly though, it gives me hope that my son will never be the kid who just goes along with anything. That he will always question the answers and dig further to hidden truths in those answers.

I just need to remember that when I'm running around like a maniac trying to get from point a to point b. I think we stop asking important questions as we grow up simply because questions are treated as an annoyance by well-meaning adults. A good question deserves a good answer. And at 5, they're all good questions. Right?