questions

as eli gets older, his questions become more complicated, which is very interesting, especially when i am not sure the answer.

a little background.....we have been praying for the people of haiti at night with eli. we explain to him that the earth shook and that children's houses fell down. we explain that God did this for a reason, a good reason, but we don't understand why right now. we tell him that they need us to pray for them. he gets it and prays for them, which is both incredibly cute and very astute.

so getting back to my story, one day in the car eli asks me:


eli: mommy, what made the houses fall down in haiti?
me: an earthquake.
eli: houses fell in the grass?
me: yup
eli: what is under the grass?
me: dirt
eli: what is under the dirt?
me: um....(having to dig back in my brain to science class)....lava?
eli: no, lava is in bolcanoes
me: yes it is, but lava is under the ground too
eli: is it in the hole in the bolcano?
me: yes, in the hole inside the volcano
eli: what is lava, i mean what is in it?
me: (silence)....ummmmm.....daddy knows, ask him.

how sad is it that i couldn't think that lava is melted rock? of course after a few minutes it hit me, but HELLO?!?!!? how dumb am i? sheesh.

but these questions, these probing questions come at a breakneck pace as of late. and if i cannot think on my toes and reach back into my childhood brain (or even college brain!)about such elementary subjects, how will i handle more complicated questions, much less the birds and the bees discussion.....another one i will throw daddy's way, i guess.

and the worst part about this? i have two bachelors degrees in education......