There is a period in children’s development when they ask questions in response to everything you say. I remember the “Why” as my kids’ way of learning.

“Eden, please bring me the plate form the table”

“Why do you want the plate?”

“I want to put the egg on it”

“Why do you want to put the egg on it?”

“So you can take it to the table and eat it”

“Why do you want me to eat it?”

“Eggs are healthy. If you eat your egg, you won’t be hungry and you will be healthy”

“Why do you want me to be healthy?”

And this went on and on and on… If I remember correctly, most of these conversations ended with “because I have said so”.

I think that Socrates, the great philosopher, never got over this stage of his development and perhaps this is what got him going on his quest for knowledge and understanding of life. Mentally, Socrates was just a curious kid. His mind was full of questions and through them he gained a lot of wisdom.

Read Parenting the Socrates Way: Asking Questions »

Last week, I introduced parenting the Socrates way, where I outlined the benefits of parenting with questions.

Today, I will continue with this parenting technique and explore the “right and wrong” questions and subsequently the “right and wrong” answers.

When I introduce this technique to parents, many of them ask about the right and wrong questions to ask their children. As you probably know (from reading my other articles), “right” and “wrong” are not words I like to use. I do not believe questions can be divided into “right” or “wrong”. I prefer to call them “effective” or “not effective”.

There are 6 things you can do to make sure your questions are effective.

Listen

When you ask a question, wait for the answer. Actively listen to your kids’ answers. Avoid thinking of your next question or the next sentence and just listen! When you ask and then wait for an answer, you build a relationship that encourages communication.

Read Parenting the Socrates Way: How to Ask Questions »