When it comes to kids, we have to color outside the lines! Simply because they do not have any borders. Their fresh, free, unbiased and creative minds think the way God created human beings before any ideas or cultures were enforced upon them. So why don’t we let them think, think and think!
Cute Shock #1
Is “9” A Boy or A Girl!?
Roqia, a 7 year-old girl, is wondering about the number nine’s gender. Are numbers gendered? There is no framework from which to build upon; it is part of our human nature to assign gender to anything. Gender helps us not only understand how to think about someone or something, but also figure out the person or thing’s relationship to the rest of the world.
Is there a specific scientific answer?
There is no obvious explanation to this, but in other cultures people see odd numbers as male and even numbers as female. Psychologists agree that language could influence how we perceive gender in objects. It varies from one language to another. For example, Arabs see the moon more like a man “Al Kamar”, because the word is grammatically masculine. In contrast, Spanish speakers see the moon more like a woman, because in Spanish the word is grammatically feminine “La Luna”. Most cute shocks do not have any accurate answers. Even scientists and psychiatrists stand still in front of them.
“ If a child is repeatedly being discouraged from asking questions, there could be a detrimental effect on their development.”
How do parents respond to Cute Shocks?
Noha Abu El Magd, Parents Coaching Instructor, answers How to Master your Little Monster ?
Sometimes kids ask questions which leave you wondering whether to laugh or cry. It’s important to answer every question honestly, because kids don’t like to be ignored, lied to, or laughed at.
Validation helps kids feel and express their emotions, develop a secure sense of self, gain confidence, feel more connected to their parents and have better relationships in adulthood.
Validating a child means letting them share their thoughts and feelings without judging, criticizing, ridiculing or abandoning them. Children are curious beings, they look at their surroundings in awe, and question what they don’t understand. As children grow older, the frequency and types of questions asked does indeed change, but a child’s thirst for knowledge still remains the same. Studies show that children ask their moms an astonishing 228 questions per day.
“It’s important to answer every question honestly, because kids don’t like to be ignored, lied to, or laughed at.”
As parents, it would be impractical to answer every single question throughout the day. However as long as you’re encouraging your children to ask questions most of the time; it’s perfectly reasonable to leave the answer for a later time.
We encourage our children to ask questions by showing that we value their question. This can be done through the excitement in our voice tone and by being genuinely interested in what they have to say. If a child is repeatedly being discouraged from asking questions, there could be a detrimental effect on their development.
Sherine Rashed is a Freelance Writer, Writer at Canadian Chamber Publication and Founder of Quotes factory, she graduated from the Faculty of Economics & Political Science English Section.