The Children’s Philosophy: Why do I have to attend school?

What if we take kids' never ending questions a bit more seriously than usual? Do you think the answers should be short? Do you have time to explore the options?

I love to read, so my neighbour lent me a brilliant book called: Nasty, Brutish, and Short by Scott Hershovitz. It was over a month ago, and I couldn’t find time to read it. It’s hard to admit, but I had five other books patiently waiting for me on the nightstand. And guess what? In the end, it was my laziness that made me read Hershovitz’s book.

I was tidying up in the living room and thought, now it’s time to relax. I was too lazy to move. So I reached out to the closest book. I started to read it. The book is well-written, intelligent, and funny. I felt like Hershovitz was talking to me. I also believe that every kid is a true thinker. It’s always lovely to be around them. This book made me slow down when kids are asking me questions. It’s kind of like going on an adventure. To climb and hike the mountain of thoughts. I promised to take notes if my kids asked philosophical questions. Here are the sweetest fruits from day one.

We had a slow and sleepy morning breakfast at the kitchen table. My daughter ate her cereal slowly, and I could see she was wondering about something. She looked at me with a serious face and asked me directly:

Why do I have to attend school?

She continued: We don’t do anything challenging. Even if we have an assignment, I’m ready with it quickly. We just play and discuss. Why are kids going to school and stay there? Can I stay home? Wouldn’t it be better?

Well, my mind told me: Oh, no. I need to recall all the great philosopher’s thoughts on education in the middle of my breakfast. I’m not a morning person. Let’s improvise.

Since I wanted to save time, I told my daughter: “That’s a great question, love. I’m happy you asked. I think there is no right answer to this question, but we can always think of possible answers. Let me think.”
Now, I had some time to think. Of course, not too much, only to sip a bit of water. I told her to think about education as an opportunity.
She immediately frowned. What kind of opportunity?- she asked.
Another good question, but first, we have to get to the bottom of your previous question.

I know numbers, places, and names can be tedious, so I wanted to give a short, easy-to-understand answer. Something like this:
“In the old times, not everyone had the luck to learn to write, read or count. It was a privilege to have a teacher. In today’s world, we are almost there to allow every child to find their passion and learn about anything they find interesting. Your school is an excellent place to stay curious and discover new things every day. You will slowly understand the world with your friends and teachers by your side. You can stay home if you want, of course. Do you want to stay at home instead?”

My husband looked at me like I was about to murder someone. He wanted to answer, but thankfully my daughter was faster. She said: “Mmm. No, I don’t want to stay home. I like school.”

My son sensed that his odd questions should be asked now. He asked me this one:

Why are your eyes like that?

Yeah. I hesitated to say something funny instead, but I made a promise, and I’m sticking to it. So I said: “It’s called genetics. You inherit it from your ancestors.”
He snapped back: “Can I have yours when you die?”
Nice. I said: “You can have it if you want, but you already got eyes. You got eyes when you were small in my tummy.”
The conversation turned into something else, but it was a pleasant start.

If anyone has a better answer for small kids, please do not hesitate to write a comment. I’m not a philosopher, so every thought will be appreciated. Feel free to share your kid’s philosophical adventure in the comments section. I would love to hear about your story.

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