My 8-year-old sat across from me at lunch and, out of the blue, said, “I think I’m going to try microwaving my underwear tomorrow.” All I could think to say was, “Ooookay.” He nodded his head with confidence and kept eating as though he had resolved that this experiment was definitely going to happen. I followed up, asking clarifying questions of my curious child: Why? For how long? Clean or dirty?
The next day, I was prepared to talk him out of it. Then I told a friend, and her immediate response was, “Sounds like a great experiment! I say go for it.” I thought, “What the heck?” While the nudge from my friend was a helpful reminder to loosen up, here are the 3 real reasons I let him cook up his Fruit of the Looms.
1. I want him to value process over product.
Don’t tell my son this, but I knew nothing was going to happen. I could’ve told him so, but I wanted my curious child to wonder. I wanted his brain to explore the what-ifs. So as we stood in front of the microwave, I let him pose questions like, “Will my underwear melt?” “Should we increase the time by 15 seconds?” And, of course, “What will hot underwear feel like when I put it on?” I even upped the ante by telling his older brother to have the fire extinguisher at the ready. My safety-minded firstborn child was thrilled by this assignment.
If I’d spoiled the experiment and told my son he’d just end up with toasty underwear, he would’ve missed out on the value of the process. It reminds me of the Curiosity Approach to learning, which aims to create thinkers and doers by encouraging children’s natural curiosity. I want my kids to know the process of learning is often more important than the final product.
2. I want him to know I’ll support him when he wants to try new things.
I was in the middle of my workday, but he was home with a day off from school. He would’ve understood if I’d shut down the idea. Mom’s working. But for five minutes, I was the fun, adventurous mom instead of the fuddy-duddy who always says no.
As important as it is to show your kids you’re willing to let loose, what’s more important is that they know you’re there to help them take their next adventure. That might be in the kitchen, at the park, or maybe even to a college far from home. Hopefully, the next time my curious kid has an idea, he’ll know he can come to me instead of pushing the thought down until he forgets about it.
3. I want to encourage innovation.
If I could sell all the science kit crystals we’ve made over the years, I’d be a rich lady. Don’t get me wrong—I love those kits that come with flimsy goggles, little beakers, packets of random powders, and vague instructions. But as great as it is to create a volcano on your kitchen counter, I also want my kids to look around and wonder what hasn’t been tried.
I don’t know what made my son want to microwave his underwear, but I bet some of the finest innovations we use today came from some kid trying an experiment that seemed a little silly to his mom.
Do you have a curious child (or two)? What crazy things have your kids asked to do?
This story inspired an episode of the iMOM Podcast. Check out “Mom, I’m Going to Microwave My Underwear” for more ideas to help your child grow in curiosity and for you to grow in your ability to say yes more often.
