Our little four-year-old granddaughter, whom I call Twinkle, began talking in sentences at about the age of two and hasn’t stopped talking since. I know all children go through a stage of asking lots of questions, but this child surely out-asks all others. I try my best to give her good answers, but occasionally I must resort to the old art of deflection.
“Grandma,” she unexpectedly asked the other day, “why did Jesus have to die on the cross for our sins?”
I did my best to explain in words she could understand that Jesus loves us very much and wants all of us to be in Heaven with him. God’s plan was for Jesus to die so we could live with both of them in Heaven forever.”
“Why do people drink Jesus’ blood in that little cup at church?”
Again, in my handicapped way, I tried to explain a bit about the Lord’s Supper, emphasizing that no one actually drinks Jesus’ blood.
“Will I drink out of that cup when I’m a grown-up?”
“Yes, Sweetie.”
“Why can’t I drink out of that little cup now?”
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” I said. “Let’s sing the Arky-Arky song together.”
Later, in the car, we had this conversation.
“Why can’t I play on your tablet in the car, Grandma?”
“Because you’ll use up all my data minutes.”
“What are data minutes.”
“Data minutes let me use the Internet.”
“What is the Internet?”
“The Internet is what I use when I send emails and pictures to you and your mommy and when you play games on my tablet.”
“You let me use your tablet at your house, Grandma. Why can’t I use it in the car?”
“I let you use the tablet at my house because my house has Wi-Fi. My car doesn’t have Wi-Fi.”
“What’s Wi-Fi, Grandma?”
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” I said. “Let’s drive through Dairy Queen and get some ice cream.”
Still later in the day, her Grandpa and I decided to take Twinkle and her sister to a saddle club to ride ponies. This decision generated the following conversation.
“Grandma, will you wear your high heels when we go ride the ponies today?”
“No, Sweetheart, I won’t wear my high heels to the horse barn.”
“Can I wear your high heels?”
“No, not today.”
“Why can’t I wear your high heels to ride the pony?”
“High heels are not the right kind of shoes to have on when you’re riding a pony.”
“Why are high heels not the right kind of shoes to have on when I’m riding a pony, Grandma?”
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” I said. “How about letting me help you finish your sticker book?”
On the way home from the saddle club, Twinkle stated. “We get milk from cows, Grandma.”
“Yes, that’s right,” I said.
“We get eggs from chickens.”
“Yes, we do.”
“My daddy says we get bacon from pigs.”
“Yes.”
“How do we get bacon from pigs, Grandma?”
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” I said. “Let’s sing Old McDonald Had a Farm.”
Before she went home, she asked, “When will I be as old as my big sister?”
“Your sister is seven. In three years you will be seven and she will be ten. You and your sister will never be the same age at the same time.”
“Why, Grandma?”
“Because your sister was born before you were born.”
“When was I born, Grandma?”
“You were born in 2012.”
“Where was I before that?”
“You weren’t really anywhere before that, Sweetheart.”
“Was I in Heaven with Jesus?”
“Maybe so, Darling.”
“Why did Jesus have to die on the cross for our sins?”
This is my book recommendation for the little question-askers in your world.
The Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner in the religion category, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible. At the center of the Story is a baby, the child upon whom everything will depend. Every story whispers his name. From Noah to Moses to the great King David—every story points to him. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle—the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, as the Story unfolds, children will pick up the clues and piece together the puzzle. A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God’s great story of salvation—and at the center of their Story too.
This book by Sally Lloyd-Jones is available in hardback from Amazon for $9.99. Makes a wonderful gift!
The Happy Geranium 
I really enjoyed this one. Thanks, Julie
Julie,
You enjoy anything that deals with horses! 🙂 Just kidding. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Love,
Debbie
Such a sweet picture, Debbie! Oh, I do remember those days of so many questions with my own little daughters and now history repeats itself through our grandchildren. I can’t wait to check out this book recommendation! Thank you, Debbie, for all your wise insights and sharing your thoughts through your blog.
Becky, History repeats itself indeed. My grandchildren are such blessings to me, but boy they require lots of energy and patience from me!
wow,another good one! It’s so much fun when your stories are so close to home! Where did you find the pony rides ? I loved the picture !
Hey, Bonnie. Thanks for your comment. We took the girls to Brown County State Park on what was surely the hottest day of summer!
Love,
Debbie
So cute and just like Twinkles. Love your untiring patience.
Fortunately for us, you and I both learned patience from our wonderful mother!
(However, my patience often wears thin!)
Love,
Debbie
Coincidentally, I also fielded such a question recently. We were at the Johnson County Horse Park and my 5-year-old granddaughter asked why most of the horses there didn’t have babies. “Why do some babies and other don’t?” Not being so wells-versed in diversion like you, Debbie, my poor little brain raced! Finally, I thought of the answer! Many of the horses there have babies that are now grown. We just can’t see all of their babies! Thankfully, she was happy with my answer. Wheeee!
Oh, Terri, what a terrific answer you gave to your little granddaughter. I doubt I could have been quick enough on my feet to come up with that response. I would probably have tried again to deflect by saying something like, “Hey, look up at the clouds. Do you see a dinosaur shape?”
Love,
Debbie
Deflection at its finest, Grandma! Thanks for the tip about the Bible.
That little granddaughter of yours will soon love hearing Bible stories. I especially like this book because its theme throughout is “Jesus will deliver us.”