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How did we grow people before there were people?

Oct 15, '07 3:21 PM
for everyone

This is the latest question from my four year old. It came this morning as we were rushing off to preschool without a minute to spare. Anyone have an answer for her? I told her I'd get back to her on it as I couldn't think of an easy way to explain how we grew the first person since I'm not certain what I believe myself. I wish she just wanted the birds and bees talk because that would be much easier to explain! So I'm up for suggestions!!

Previous questions have been:

Lyla: "What do firemen do?"

Me: "If there is a fire they come to your house and put out the fire."

Lyla: "What else do they do?"

Me: "Well, they can get a cat out of a tree" ....Yes, I know that was a lame response but I couldn't think of anything else.

Lyla: "What if there was a fire at a fireman's house?"

Me: "Well, I guess they would have to call the fire department"

Lyla: "Why can't they put the fire out themselves?"

Me: "Because they need special equipment to put out the fire and they don't have the special equipment at home."

Lyla: "They should keep the equipment at home."

And the question that followed this was......

Lyla: "How do they build houses?"

Me: "hmm...well, they use bricks and wood and cement to build a house. Since I really have no idea and wanted to distract her said "you know how when you go with Daddy to Home Depot? Well you can buy everything at Home Depot that you need to build a house."

Lyla: "How do they build Home Depot if you need to buy everything at Home Depot?"

Me: "They bought it from another Home Depot."

and you can see where this is going.......

Lyla: "How did they build that Home Depot?"

Me: "I don't know, ask Daddy."

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17 CommentsChronological Reverse Threaded

pez wrote on Oct 15, '07

Very sophisticated questions! Lots of self-reference in there -- one day she might enjoy reading Goedel, Escher, Bach by D.S. Hofstadter.

ieva wrote on Oct 15, '07

I don't know if that's going to help, but try-

"what do you think about.....(any question that she is asking)....? "

for example "how do you think they build that "first" Home Depot?" ....she might come up with some genius ideas of her own... :)

walter wrote on Oct 15, '07, edited on Oct 15, '07

Tracy - Lyla? Who invented Disco?
Lyla - Daddy!

jody wrote on Oct 15, '07

I ask Charlie, age 9, and he says, "Well, we actually don't really know. Nobody really knows." Me: "Do you want to give her a theory?" Charlie: "Not really."

So there you have it. He's got his answers down for when he's a dad.

jsparks wrote on Oct 15, '07

Don't get Lyla and MiChaela together. Or better yet let the two of them question the candidates at the next presidential debate!

Tell Lyla - it is a Miracle made from love. And even though you can't see it or explain it you know it's there. And from the first one we kept making them all from love.

I use the Miracle thing when I don't have a good enough foundation.

- Mike and I were discussing our new patio when the bug (MiChaela) chimes in with, "Well we have ALLLL this negative space over here too!" Mike looks at me and was like, NO MORE HGTV for her! Kids. : )

tavthomas wrote on Oct 15, '07

I think it's a girl thing. Our little neighbor is a girl and she asks questions non-stop. It drives Mike a little batty sometimes, so he just returns her questions w/ a question. She eventually tires out from his questions and moves on to other things!! I think it's great that she's so inquisitive, but next time she asks a random question turn the question around on her, and report back. ;-) Too cute.

sandyb wrote on Oct 15, '07

Her inquisitive nature is growing all the time. As far as the growing question, you can always go with God created us, but then she'd want to know how God got here and you will be stumped again. The miracle explanation sounds as good as any.

nazildoromi wrote on Oct 16, '07, edited on Oct 16, '07

tracy said

"I don't know, ask Daddy."

this is the best and easiest reply to our children. but it depends on the mothers' skills that how long it takes to use this sentence. sometimes i really don't know their questions' answer!

tracy wrote on Oct 16, '07

sandyb said

As far as the growing question, you can always go with God created us, but then she'd want to know how God got here and you will be stumped again. The miracle explanation sounds as good as any.

You know the next question would be "who created god?"

sujewel wrote on Oct 16, '07

I'm not a mom, but how about the truth? That you don't know, that nobody really knows. You say that some people believe in the creation of Adam and Eve and some believe in evolution.

tracy wrote on Oct 16, '07

sujewel said

I'm not a mom, but how about the truth? That you don't know, that nobody really knows. You say that some people believe in the creation of Adam and Eve and some believe in evolution.

I agree with you regarding the truth....except for one thing. It will create more questions and it's exhausting when all you want to do is get her dressed, out the door and to school!

ginarw wrote on Oct 16, '07

tracy said

I agree with you regarding the truth....except for one thing. It will create more questions

Not all the time, sometimes they just want an answer (or at least a believable one) & that will satisfy their curiosity. Make it sound good & usually they will be happy.....they just want an answer.

The problem is now Tyler asks factual questions that I really don't have the answers for. Thats when I use the old phrase.......look it up

ladyfish wrote on Oct 16, '07, edited on Oct 16, '07

Very shortly after my brother and I were old enough to read beyond Dr Seuss level, my folks bought a World Book Encyclopedia set, an Almanac, a really thick Dictionary, and a World Atlas.
I think it saved their sanity. (course, this was before the internet... and I have yet to meet the kid who rivals my brother's ability to use the word "Why.")

bumgarner wrote on Oct 16, '07

Don't forget one of the best all-around answers to a kid's questions........magic!

aerialsoul wrote on Oct 17, '07

oh geez... i think when our time comes, I'll answer this type of question with "Hmm, let's call Tracy and Lyla".

noonanm wrote on Oct 23, '07

those are hysterical. and of course she's totally serious when she asks each quesrtion-when you think about it the questions make complete sense!

go lyla! she's a smart one! give her a big hug and a kiss for me tracy.

jaengnadineamelie wrote on Jan 19

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