I don’t know if it would work, but what I’d try to do in that situation is to make it clear the kids will get more of your time and attention if they put in more effort themselves.
Like, the kid asking how far away Paris is: get the kid to come up with an estimate and how he/she’d check that estimate. Once they put in the work like that, you give them more time to get to the answer.
The kid asking about microwaving a fork, tell them it’s a dangerous thing to do, tell them you might be able to find a video showing what happens. But, first, ask them to come up with 5 other things they shouldn’t touch in the kitchen without a parent’s permission and a reason why and write them down.
I don’t have kids, but my dad did something a bit like that with me, and my uncle did something like that with his kids. It seemed to work. I was too young to really remember exactly how it worked with me, but I do remember happily doing research on things and then getting attention from my dad about what I’d figured out. With my uncle, I got to watch his kids (5-6 years younger than me) and how this sort of thing worked. He’d spend about 5 seconds deflecting them, they’d go off and do some things on their own, and he’d have more time to relax. Sometimes they got bored or distracted and didn’t come back. When they did come back, they’d come back with something more than just a random question, and he’d spend time with them about what they’d discovered.
I don’t know if it would work, but what I’d try to do in that situation is to make it clear the kids will get more of your time and attention if they put in more effort themselves.
Like, the kid asking how far away Paris is: get the kid to come up with an estimate and how he/she’d check that estimate. Once they put in the work like that, you give them more time to get to the answer.
The kid asking about microwaving a fork, tell them it’s a dangerous thing to do, tell them you might be able to find a video showing what happens. But, first, ask them to come up with 5 other things they shouldn’t touch in the kitchen without a parent’s permission and a reason why and write them down.
I don’t have kids, but my dad did something a bit like that with me, and my uncle did something like that with his kids. It seemed to work. I was too young to really remember exactly how it worked with me, but I do remember happily doing research on things and then getting attention from my dad about what I’d figured out. With my uncle, I got to watch his kids (5-6 years younger than me) and how this sort of thing worked. He’d spend about 5 seconds deflecting them, they’d go off and do some things on their own, and he’d have more time to relax. Sometimes they got bored or distracted and didn’t come back. When they did come back, they’d come back with something more than just a random question, and he’d spend time with them about what they’d discovered.
The older they get, the better their questions get.
But yeah, good point. I’ll consider pushing them a bit.