Recently we were blessed with a baby girl. As we would have
expected, my first one had a basket full of questions of a typical 5 year old.
How is a baby born? Where does it come from? How does it come? How did I come?
When did I come? How much time is 5 years? Where was I before I came here?.....and
so on they continue. Extremely funny, damn tricky to answer and surprisingly amusing
to hear.
You are taken aback by this precise line of questioning. You
know the answer and yet don’t know how to answer the questions!! Which is to
say – you have the exact knowledge and yet you almost always fail to explain it
to the 5 year old. After all a 5 year old’s logic is plain, simple and
completely….LOGICAL. As adults we are definitely not in a position to EXPLAIN
it logically – since we don’t know how much to reveal and how much to hold back.
The questions just continue and 5 year olds are rarely
satisfied with any of the ‘Birth, Life and death’ related answers. They persist
with it till they are distracted or they have another question!!
It is like being interrogated by a law enforcement officer
or being stress interviewed.
Following are the questions I have been asked by my 5 year
old first one and the answers I have tried to give her – honestly – as far as
possible. (If you aren’t truthful, they are likely to CROSS QUESTION you
later.)
Q: Why is mother becoming fat?
A: A baby is growing inside her stomach.
Q: What?!! Who put it there?
A: God put it there.
Q: What?!! How can that happen? Why didn’t he just put it
outside then?
A: Babies are always born like this beta. First they are
very small in the stomach, then it becomes bigger as it eats some of its mother’s
food. Then after a few months it becomes so big that it comes out.
Q: Where does it come out from? How does it come out?
A: Pass
Q: What?
A: Never mind. It comes out of the stomach. Only doctors
know how exactly to pull out the babies. That is why we have doctors.
Q: Young ones of animals are born from eggs. Was I born from
an egg?
A: No beta. Your mother is not an animal no?
Q: Hmm ok. So I was also born in a stomach. Where are the
babies before they come into the stomach?
A: God’s home (Devachya ghari in marathi.)
Q: Oh. But you told me sometime ago that panjoba (her great
grandfather – my grandfather.) went to God’s home, when I asked you……how can it
be if they come from God’s home – like the baby and they go to God’s home –
like panjoba, why were they here anyway?
A: Yes, its like that only beta. We all come here from God’s
home and go there again after living for 70-80 years.
Q: Do they wear clothes at God’s home…….?
And the questioning continues…..simple, straightforward,
innocent and honest……they are so happy just asking questions…..and here we are –
so confused, even if we know all the answers !!
