Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Anybody with children will know...

That if you do not keep it simple with your children then you are at risk of entering the "Why Conundrum". Of course keeping it simple is not, pardon my repetition, as simple as it sounds. Here is a snippet of an example:

Adult -"Man my grass is green."
Child - "Why is the grass green?"
A- "Because blue would have been too confusing."
C- "Why?"
A- "No, I was kidding."
C- "Oh, Why is the grass green?"
A- "Because it has lots of chlorophyll."
C- "Why?"
A- "Why, what?"
C- "Why is there lots of Clor-a-pill?"
A- "Because it gets it from the sun."
C- "Why?"
A- <Oh crap....>

....you get the idea. When it comes to explaining anything to children the answer must be simple. The sentences must be short and the reasoning must be obvious. Lately I've been feeling more like a child when it comes to trying to understand current events.I find myself falling in to this "Why Conundrum" - listening to the news, reading the paper, hearing about a crime, a politician, an entertainer, whatever. Everything seems to have a spin, a subplot or someone's ulterior motive.Why?

Why are answers no longer simple or why am I having a hard time understanding it?

I like to think. I like to come up with my own opinions.Why do I need to fall in to a category of right or left, religious or non-religious or educated or uneducated? Why?

Can't someone just give me a simple reason? A simple answer?

Well this blog is my way of walking myself through my confusion. Trying to figure out the simple answer, if there is one. Maybe giving my kids a way to think things through and if I'm lucky maybe, just maybe, an answer.

...the correct answer to the "why is the grass green" question, at least for my child, was:

A- "Because green is my favorite color."
C- "Oh, I like blue."

....simple.