Together we explore

Prema sat quietly in the living room, her hands clasped tightly around a warm cup of tea. She watched her 4-year-old son, Hemanth, playing with his toys on the floor, his mind always buzzing with questions. Lately, those questions had been coming faster and more frequently, and she found herself struggling to keep up.

Prema and Hemanth, sitting in the hall

That evening, after a long day, Prema felt overwhelmed. She turned to her husband, Raju, who was typing away on his laptop nearby. "Raju," she began hesitantly, "I need to talk to you about something."

Raju looked up from his screen, concern etched on his face. "What is it, Prema?"

Prema sighed, her voice filled with frustration and doubt. "Hemanth keeps asking me so many questions. Simple questions, really, but I just don’t know the answers. It’s starting to make me feel so small, like I don’t know anything about the world. I’m afraid that one day, he’ll realize I don’t have all the answers and he’ll look down on me. I don’t want him to think his mother doesn’t know anything."

Raju closed his laptop and gave her his full attention. "You know, Prema, when I was a child, I was just like Hemanth. Always full of questions. I remember asking my mother all sorts of things, and she would often say, 'You always have questions. I feel like I’m always taking an exam when you’re around!’"

Prema chuckled softly. "What did you do then?"

"I was confused," Raju admitted. "I didn’t understand why she felt that way when all I wanted was to understand the world around me. My father barely spoke to me, so I started going to my uncle for answers. He wasn’t highly educated, but he had a way of explaining things that made sense to me. I still remember asking him, 'Who switches off the Sun’s light at night?' after he explained to me how to switch a light on and off."

Prema’s eyes widened with curiosity. "What did he say?"

Raju smiled at the memory. "He told me, ‘When the Earth is tired, she moves away from the Sun so that she doesn’t have to see him. Once she sleeps and recharges, she moves towards the Sun to see him again. That’s when it’s morning.’ It wasn’t scientifically accurate, of course, but it made sense to me as a child. It kept my curiosity alive and made me feel understood."

Prema nodded, beginning to see where Raju was leading. "So, you think I should try answering Hemanth’s questions like that?"

"Exactly," Raju replied. "You can explain things in your own way. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The important thing is that you engage with him. And remember, we have the internet now. If you don’t know something, just tell him, ‘Let’s find out together,’ or look it up later and explain it to him. What matters is that you’re honest and willing to explore the answers with him."

Prema looked thoughtful, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. "I guess I’ve been so afraid of not knowing the answers that I’ve forgotten the most important part—listening to him."

Raju reached out and gently squeezed her hand. "If you keep avoiding his questions, he might start thinking his questions are wrong or that you don’t like them. He could stop being curious altogether. But if you show him that his questions matter, even if you don’t know the answers right away, he’ll keep exploring, keep learning. And he’ll know that his mother is always there to support him."

Prema smiled, feeling more confident. "Thank you, Raju. I’ll try my best to answer his questions, even if it’s in a way that’s different from what I expected."

That night, as she tucked Hemanth into bed, he asked her another question. "Amma, where does the moon go when the sun comes out?"

Prema paused for a moment, then smiled. "The moon gets tired after watching over us all night, so he goes to sleep when the sun comes up. But don’t worry, he’ll be back to say goodnight when you wake up tomorrow."

Hemanth giggled, satisfied with the answer. As Prema kissed his forehead and turned off the light, she felt a new sense of confidence. She didn’t have all the answers, but she had something even more important—the love and patience to explore them with her son.

And that was the greatest gift she could give him.