Annie's Corner

 Early this morning, while innocently waiting at the Post Office for my son to retrieve my stamps, I found myself involved in the question of all times. A grandfather, at least I am guessing, parked beside me and brought a small girl out of her car seat to go into the Post Office. What a little chatter box, and apparently Grandpa had lost all his answers cause he referred her next question to the smart looking lady. (Gee, thanks, I think.)  The little girl eyed me only for a moment then asked, "What does our tongue taste like?"   As I pondered an answer, my mother's advice from years ago came to mind, "be honest and keep it simple."  "Gosh I don't know for sure, what do you think it tastes like?"  Grandpa looked disappointed in my answer. 

 "Look at all the rocks!"  She squealed and ran to the rocks that are used to trim the parking lot, and proceeded to lick one, obviously obsessed with the whole taste concept. Grandpa retrieved the rock and proceeded on his way, but I found myself drifting back, back to when my children were smaller and looked to me for all their answers. (Now they are teenagers and have all the answers, at least they think so.)

 When I was a child my mother and grandmother always seemed to have all the answers, and somehow I figured that the "know-it-all" book would be bestowed upon me once I became a parent. Well it never has been, guess it got lost in the generations and so I have always had to fumble with the answers. And I don't know about your children, but with my children one answer was not enough, my answer just led to a whole string of questions with even more difficult answers.

 "Why don't people fly?" "We don't have wings." Pretty simple, right? "Why didn't God give us wings, would sure save on the gas?" Good point, but what do you say to that. "We do have planes to help us fly places." "They use gas, and take up lots of space." Sometimes I used to wonder who was teaching whom when they were younger. 

 Maybe I need to read more, or just be older to have the quick answers that Mom and Grandma always had. I recall asking Mom once, "How do you know when you are in love?" Her reply, passed on from her mother was, "If you don't know then you are not." Of course, at 12 it was a bit confusing, but what a great answer. Shut me up and made me think. How did she do that?

 There was another son due in my family about the time of my oldest son's birth, and the child was still born. My oldest son was about the age of 8 when he asks my Grandmother if that child has his infant body still, or if he is bigger, like him. With only a moment's thought, my Grandmother replied, "I don't know, but if I get a vote I want my 21-year-old body back, this one is wearing out." My son walked away scratching his head, and I marveled how simple she made a difficult question. 

 Some of my other favorite questions over the years that caused me the most stumbling blocks, "Why does snow fall down?" "Who decided we need 12 years of school before we graduate?" "Why is History important?"  "Why do bees sting?"  "Why is the grass green and the sky blue, why not have it the other way around?"  "Why don't fish have legs so they can walk around too?" And the list goes on and on. Of course these are the questions from them when they were 
pre-school age and younger. 

 Believe me, now when I get a question, it's even harder but at least their understanding is much higher, so I can even resort to the old adage, "look it up for yourself, you'll learn more that way."  Great answer, huh, but I still want the manual I am sure Mom and Grandma had. I may end up a Grandma some day and I want to be ready.