This is the title of an article by Lora Shinn that is in the September 2011 issue of Kiwi magazine. The subtitle is Raising kids who think. Of course, I honed right onto that one and started reading right away! She talks about trying to answer the Big Questions that our children ask us while fostering their ability to think things through, and yes, even get a little philosophical.
Now some days, the last thing I want to do is get philosophical with JJ! He wants to get to the bottom of everything and be sure that he really understands it. Some days I just want to tell him to stop thinking! But on a good day, if there is time, I think that some of the ideas that Shinn presents are good ones. She says that when your child is asking these Big Questions, "Your child is demonstrating his natural inclination to speculate, reason, and persuade. ANd if he were in college instead of second grade, he's be considered a philosopher. So go with it: Encouraging philosophical conversations can boost a child's creativity, language, and critical-thinking skills." But she's also not some parenting advice wacko (perhaps I could have put that a bit more nicely!) who is telling us to have conversations like this all the time. She believes it's OK to just say "Lights out because I said so!" and talk about the big issues later.
She's got some suggestions on how to get these conversations started, one that involves Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. She suggests that after reading this, you might discuss: Is it possible to give too much? Can we love books and paper but also dislike chopping down trees? I've got to say that both of these intrigue me! I already worry about Sarah sometimes as she is often so readily willing to give whatever she has got to someone else. And I know that's a fine trait on the one hand, but I also don't want her to be the kind of young woman who gives other people what they want in order to keep them happy if it doesn't make her happy. (Maybe I'm the parenting advice wacko now for worrying too much about this!)
Back to the topic at hand . . . But I also love the question about paper and books and trees! And I would love to hear what my kids have to say about this. I could see a really fruitful conversation coming from this. And speaking of books, the article also references a blog Wondering Aloud that has more ideas like these. But what I really love about Wondering Aloud is the books and ideas that are listed! I just ordered Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox because of this site! And here's the irony . . . As I was writing this, Sarah just came in and told me that she and JJ are playing a game called "Old Lady," and then when I saw the author's name, I just laughed too. This is the first author that Sarah's class will be studying this month. I love how the Universe works!
