When was the last time you got the opportunity to inspire wonder in your children?  Did you take it?

The other day I was cleaning up after dinner.  My two year old was finishing eating at the table and my 9 month old having a grand old time throwing food on the floor.  The five and four year old were helping clear the table and chattering to each other about several topics.

Then the golden moment happened

The oldest said to her sister, you need to exercise your arm like this so your bones stay strong. The youngest piped in, no you need to drink milk to make your bones strong so they don’t break.  The oldest: I have a boy in my class that has a broken arm.  What does it look like?  He has a cast on it.

Then as they looked at each other with a frown on their face, trying to understand the intricacies of the body-they started to turn-oh yes they are going to-Yes here it come--my opportunity.

Mom, why did the boy in my class have a cast on his arm?

Mom, why does your arm not fall off when it’s broken?

How many bones do I have?

Is there bones here?

How does our food not get all over our bones when we eat?

Where is my heart?

Is there blood all over our bones because our heart squirts on them?

As I fielded all these questions and more, I took advantage of their curiosity.

I suggested that we go to the library and find some “body” books to explore. 

As we got to the library the excitement grew.  My oldest (5) asked the librarian where some good body books were.  My four year old explained she wanted to see a heart. 

As we located about ten books appropriate for their use, I packed all the kids up and we headed home.  The excitement was palpable in the car.  They were looking forward to sitting down and discovering all their little minds could think up.

When we got home, they began to pour over the pictures of the skeletons, hearts and digestive system. 

Their wonder at the amazing body was more than enough to leave me with the satisfaction that their love of learning will continue.  I will still answer many more questions and we did not delve nearly as deep as possible, but their interest is peaked and I intend to use every opportunity.

To all the parents out there- take the opportunities when they are presented to you.

What have you done to inspire your kids lately?