At this stage, I'd think exploring more options would only confuse him more????
It really depends upon personality. My daughter led me into discussions that I would
never have deliberately embarked upon with a child so young. I would have sworn, if I'd been asked, that it wasn't a concern for her, or that if it was, that such a conversation would merely confuse/upset her further.
But I was often wrong about that.
I had assumed that because my DH and I are firmly non-theistic in our worldview, that this would (naturally) be how she sees the world, as well. It's not. Just as my mother would have SWORN that her worldview (being "correct") would be all I needed, I imagine. It wasn't, either-- it felt inauthentic and troubling, even when I was quite young.
SO. It truly depends on personality and readiness. If your child is one that likes to
be told "the" answer, then exploration is probably not a good idea. However, if your child is a "yeah, but..." questioning type, it is a pretty essential part of reaching an inner consensus, or at least a temporary truce with the inner quest to understand.
My mom and I were
really not on the same wavelength there. She thought that children (all of them) needed "the" answer, and that HER worldview would be comforting universally because she was so passionate in her faith, and found it profoundly satisfying/true. I wound up feeling alone because it was as though she was dancing to music that I could not hear. I
tried to see it her way, but it really just upset me MORE.
Some kids like certainty, and others are perfectly content with ambiguity. My DD and I are both in the latter camp. Her dad is more in the former, and so was my mom. If my DD were like my mom, then a single heartfelt explanation of MY beliefs, gently and comfortingly given, would have been the best way to handle it. My DD wasn't reassured by that-- at all-- so we went with the inquiry-driven model and a lot of Socratic interactions until she found some things that resonated with her and helped her to feel less anxious about it.
