Philosophy–it sounds a bit pretentious. It’s from Greek and it means “the love of wisdom,” but simplified it really is about curiosity and wonder. As adults we tend to lose our sense of wonder and often let cynicism push aside curiosity. Not kids though. They have both in abundance. And as a parent you KNOW this because you’ve been subjected to the infinite regression of ‘why’ questions. Just today I had this conversation with my 5 year old:
- Me: [Sanding the front door in order to re-stain it.]
- 5yo: What are you doing?
- Me: I’m sanding the door.
- 5yo: Why?
- Me: I have to sand off the old stain to put on new.
- 5yo: Why?
- Me: The old stain is wearing off and cracks are growing in the wood.
- 5yo: Why?
- Me: Sun and water wear down wood over time.
- 5yo: Why?
- Me: Nature uses decay to break down things that have died. It’s an important part of the eco-system but bad for our front door.
- 5yo: [Pauses for a moment.] Why?
At this point I realize I’m in a loop that possibly might not ever stop until I run out of answers. I usually try to give a serious response to the why questions but I’m trying to get 3 coats of clear coat on with enough time to dry before the coming rain storm later in the week. So I divert the questions.
- Me: Maybe when I’m done with the door we can talk more about eco-systems. But for now, why do you have a plate of brownies on your head?
- 5yo: [smiling] I don’t have brownies on my head. You have cupcakes on your head! [runs off to play]
This pattern of questioning comes to kids naturally. This conversation with my 5 year old at the front door had the ability to keep peeling back layers of what I was doing to arrive at some basic and core belief like: what created the earth to have eco-systems. This process at its core is philosophy. Kids are programmed to ask their ‘why’ questions to get to some fundamental truth. A parent on their toes will have patience and indulge the questions (and I really try–just not always when my hands and face are covered in sawdust). Kids need to know that it is ok to ask questions. We need to give them the tools to add rigor to their thinking and teach them to not only follow a good argument but to formulate one for themselves.
As adults, we go about our day-to-day lives without being bothered by these same sorts of questions that children have. We live with a really narrow vision of our lives where children are very open to the big questions. And it’s tempting for us to ignore, dismiss or respond to their question with something like ‘that’s just the way it is!’ What we are telling them is that this type of inquiry–philosophy–isn’t worth their time. And before you know it, they become adults whose most pressing question is what color to paint the door (sigh).
