As a parent, there will come a time when you need to know how to answer children’s difficult questions. Don’t let them catch you off-guard!

How to Answer Children’s Difficult Questions

This is how you can answer children’s difficult questions:

1. Use the Bible for reference
2. Be welcoming in your tone and body language
3. Be honest
4. Give age-appropriate information
5. Promise a follow-up if you need to

What are the Hardest Children’s Questions?

As a mother of three, I have some real-life experiences with tough questions asked by my own children. Here are three of those difficult children’s questions and how I handled them!

Difficult Question No. 1 – Mommy, is Jesus the Cornerstone of our Faith?

My 6-year-old son unexpectedly blurted out this question when we were on our way to church. I’m not sure what thoughts were swirling around in his head at the time. But they were obviously serious enough to produce this deep theological question.

I suspect the seed was sown by one of the Christian cartoons they watch frequently. In a particular episode one of the characters was trying to save the church building from collapsing because someone had taken away the cornerstone.

Of course, my very eloquent answer was “mm hmm”.

That may not have been the best example of how to answer children’s difficult questions, but what else was I supposed to say🤷🏾‍♀️😑?

What answer would you have given to your 6-year-old who asked about Jesus as the cornerstone of our faith🤔?

Interestingly, my son repeated the same question twice in the next few days. The last time he also asked if that was in the Bible, and said we needed to read that Scripture in our devotions😮👍🏽.

When you see this kind of interest and initiative in your child, you might want to get your hands on some children’s Bibles and devotionals to help in answering a difficult question like this.

Difficult Question from Children No. 2 – Mommy, Why is Jesus Taking So Long to Come and Take us to Heaven?

What really bowled me about this question wasn’t so much the content but the context – it was asked by my 4-year-old daughter.

That means she has been waiting for Jesus’ return for the full length of FOUR (apparently long) years!

Immediately I thought of how I the almost-forty-year-old mom should feel🙄. It’s four versus forty y’all.

Who has been waiting longer🤔

Anyway, I explained quite succinctly that Jesus was giving people time to repent (2 Peter 3: 3-9). The Bible is always a good tool you can use to know how to answer children’s difficult questions.

So, in this case, I was able to give a short, sweet and Scriptural answer to a child’s difficult question! Mom wins🥳😎!

Difficult Child’s Question No. 3 – Mommy, are You Sure You Married the Right Man?

I think this question was my ultimate training ground on how to answer children’s difficult questions.

This probing question came from my oldest daughter who was about 6 years old at the time.

She’s special enough to observe when her dad isn’t “behaving like a pastor”. So, in those moments when he is doing things she believes are not for a man of the clergy, what does she do?

Blame Mommy, of course, for picking the wrong man!

That’s when I have to cautiously explain three things to her:

1. That even when God has truly guided someone to marry, the chosen spouse will still have their flesh to deal with and will still have a free will to CHOOSE to obey God every day.

2. That even if I had not married the right man, I am now married, and God expects me to honour my marriage vows and pray for my husband.

3. That she should never follow any wrong example even if it’s coming from her father. Lord, help me🙋🏽‍♀️.

Raising children has its challenges, but I’m glad my children are independent thinkers and confident expressers of their thoughts.

What would you have done differently? Let me know in the comments!