Wonder grows in the minds of those who are curious. Around two years of age, minds get very curious, and parents are constantly asked ‘Why?’.

We sometimes underestimate how intelligent a young child is and make assumptions about what they will and won’t understand.

I recall hearing that if someone is old enough to ask the question, they are old enough to listen to the answer.

A memory of my child and I travelling in the car and going past turf farms with irrigation systems come to mind.

My son was asking constant questions. Patiently, I answered all of them. Each answer caused another question.

Finally, I gave a long-winded, complex answer about how the water comes from the river nearby.

Consequently, I spoke about how companies that sell house and land packages purchase the turf to make the home look more attractive for sale purposes.

Additionally, I talked about the economy and how important money is for the economy for both families and society. My son was finally satisfied with my answer and just said ‘OK’.

Later, months later, we were visiting family in another city. We walked past a fountain, and my son said, ‘Look, mum, irrigation’.

I’m filled with more wonder now than I was at the time. Incredibly, my child remembered that conversation.

He was in a child seat when that conversation took place.

Wonder grows in the minds of children as well as curious adults.

Wonder fosters a growth mindset as it’s always willing to learn new things and be curious about their observations.

Another reminder of how children understand things more than we think is when I sat with my grandson. He was one year old at the time. He was playing a game on a screen.

I wanted to read him a book and asked him, ‘Could you be respectful and put down the game while I read you this book?’.

He willingly obliged without hesitation. I started to read the book and got a fair way through it. It was a Dr Seuss book, which can be lengthy for a young child.

Towards the end, he leaned to the side to collect his game and said, ‘I don’t want to be spectful anymore’.

Although he couldn’t pronounce the word correctly, he understood it.

Children understand so much more than we give them credit for.

That downfall is from us, not them.

Wonder also grows when a parent watches a child, encourages them, supports them and guides them to live their best life by being just themselves.