I thought of this thread as I received a volley of new deep questions from my four-year-old today.
As far as an update, she is so much less angsty right now. I really think the episode had a lot to do with being uncomfortable at school. I think it took her about two months to actually make some connections with kids in her class. She is so slow to warm, but I think the social stuff is really important to her. She's shy but not completely introverted. She has not wished to die in a long time, maybe once in the last 6 weeks. I cut her a lot of slack, and I think she really needed it.
As far as today. Out of the blue she started asking me who she is. She kept asking me, and I brushed her off as being silly, and she kept letting it drop. But, finally, at lunch she was so serious and was like, "who am I?"
I asked her what she meant and it really began. How did I get here? How was I made? How does "my thinking" work? How am I talking? What does God want us to do? Are there aliens on other planets just like us thinking about us? Who am I? Who. Am. I?
So, luckily I was high on patience, and we just went through it all from the Big Bang to Evolution to Reproduction to Genetics. I tried to steer it scientific. It is so much easier that way for me.
But, her biggest question was about talking. None of my explanations on that were enough. We talked about vocal cords and how she learned to make the different sounds by moving parts of her mouth when she was a baby. She did enjoy talking about linguistics. But, she kept talking and saying, "How am I doing that?!" It was kind of funny.
I have to say, though, some of the questions she asked me were freeeeaky coming from someone so young. She was very meta today.
Last edited by ellemenope; 12/13/12 09:26 PM.
