Yesterday my 4-year-old daughter asked me who made the dinosaurs? And when I tried to simplify the concept of evolution, I was interrupted by my son with the question of who made the earth. Fortunately I have a rudimentary understanding of the solar system, galaxies, the universe.
But this only brings us to how the big bang occurred. And they want a “who” attached to it. In the end, I had to tell them that there are some things we just don’t know. But that we are searching for answers and there are certain professions that allow us to ask those questions. And that we’re always learning.
I’m sure this goes on in every family. But this inquiry was from children who have yet to be introduced to any sort of religion. So it’s not like they already thought they knew the answer. Or did they? At the very least, it proved to me that we long for a creator from a very early age. We are hard-wired for it. But why? I’m certainly not ready to introduce them to Nietzsche!
When they are ready, I do want to introduce them to all the possibilities. And I want them to find their own way. Still, I can already see that what I want matters very little.
