Nadezhda S. (1) (ILE) about the need for explanations

A child like this has many questions. At a young age, complicated answers aren’t necessary. If the explanation isn’t detailed enough for me, I’ll ask again. And if something has been explained and the child is satisfied, they won’t ask any more questions — that means it’s enough, it’s fine.

If a child asks something, you must answer. If something is unclear to them, you should try to explain it at the child’s level, in a way they can understand, and not brush them off. If a child is asking, it means they’re interested. If their curiosity isn’t satisfied, they’ll be left feeling that something wasn’t explained to them even though they wanted to know it, and sooner or later they will either ask again or ask someone else.

When parents or adults explain something and genuinely want you to understand — when they explain it with interest — or when they explain it carelessly just to make you stop asking, the child can tell the difference. When an adult treats a child’s question with care, the child comes to respect them. But even if an adult doesn’t answer with much enthusiasm, such a child can notice, for example, that the adult is simply tired.