Ashley is so happy that she bumped into Olivia

_Elsa_

Andrew is getting a bit restless. Olivia tells him that she just wants to say a bit more and then they can leave. 

“Andrew, Mommy needs a few more minutes and then we can leave,” says Ashley. “You’ve been such a good boy today so how about we stop for ice cream when we leave here?” 

Olivia continues reading the article. 

‘Be interested - OK, OK, we know this one can be hard – especially when it’s the 14th question in 3 minutes or you suspect it might all just be a cunning bedtime-delaying tactic, but curiosity is a great trait in any child – and it’s good to encourage it. Even if you’re sighing inwardly. It will be worth it. One day. 

Keep it simple - Making your answer age-appropriate – which probably means making it short and simple rather than long and complicated – is often the best way to go for those really tricky answers. And a good rule of thumb is to never to explain more than you’re asked. 

So, if your daughter’s 4 and wondering how babies are made, it’s probably OK just to go with: “Mummies and Daddies sometimes have a special baby-making cuddle.” 

It really might not be necessary to go into lots of detail about sperm and eggs and the fitting together of parental anatomy. If your child seems happy enough with the baby-making cuddle answer, you’ve done your job – for now! 

Ask them what they think - Sometimes – especially on occasions when fairies, Santa and Christmas elves are involved – it might just feel right to ask your kids what they think before you come out with an answer to the question they’ve asked. 

The fact your child is questioning whether or not Santa is real could mean one of two things: they’ve heard other kids saying he isn’t real but don’t want to believe it or they’ve heard other kids saying he isn’t real and are beginning to realise the truth. 

Only by asking them what they think will give you an idea of where they’re at. If they say, “I think he’s real”, then you know how to respond; if they say “I know Santa is you, Mummy!” then it might be time to come clean and approach Christmas a bit differently from now on. 

Don’t be afraid of admitting you don’t know

Sometimes you might just be genuinely stumped by a question your child asks. You might be out with no resources to hand at all – but it’s totally OK to tell your child you simply don’t know the answer. It might EVEN be one so unexpected, you’re not sure Google will be able to help you out. But that’s OK, your child doesn’t need to know you’re a genius, they just need to know you’re interested.’ (Source) 

Ashley and Olivia exchange phone numbers. Ashley is so grateful to have bumped into Olivia.  

“Thanks for helping me today,” says Ashley. “I was just about ready to scream with all his why questions but you make it sound so easy and I really should try some googling for any future why questions that he might have for me.” 

Olivia gives Andrew a high-5 and then they go their separate ways. Olivia is so excited about this adventure and can’t wait to get home to share all of this with Tiffi. 

A couple of hours have passed and Olivia has finished dinner and cleaned up the kitchen. She gets a phone call from Odus and the two of them share their adventures. They do find it odd that they both had similar adventures on the same day. Odus tells Olivia that they need to get together again before the summer ends.  

When Olivia gets off the phone she is even more excited to talk to Tiffi but she doesn’t pay attention to the time. When she gets Tiffi on the phone she sounds like she is half asleep. She apologies for calling so late and tells Tiffi that she will call her back in the morning.

Let’s continue – Olivia is excited and can’t wait to tell Tiffi about her adventure  

 Start at the beginning – Olivia explains the colors of the sky

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Start at the beginning of the main story – Why … But WHY?

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