What's the one memorable question you remember asking your parents over and over again as a child?

I was forever wanting to know: "who made God, Mummy?"

Do you remember being told off for asking?

I certainly was.

Seems daft in hindsight why any parent would want to rebuke their offspring in this way seeing how asking questions is the one key in their child's armoury to finding out things - good and bad.

"What's that you're making mummy?"

"A Chocolate Cake."

"May I have a taste?"

"You may scrape out the bowl when I've finished."

"Yesssss!"

And, as we know, children are naturally curious, are they not, with one question leading to another. Then another. followed by another; and always starting with that famous: "why?"

"Don't touch the oven while it's on!"

"Why, Daddy?"

"Because I say so.

"But why mustn't I? Ouch!"

"That's why! You'll get burnt, as you've just discovered."

Hence, asking questions as you can see, is a clear sign of an inquisitive independent mind in action. It shows one is curious about things, their environment and so on, whose answers help us to evaluate the evidence in relation to our situation at the time and what action one should take, etc.

After all, it takes considerable courage for any child to ask a question when they are still pretty new at it, a courage which either increases or diminishes in time all depending on his or her mater and paters' response.

Feed it, and you cultivate their future appetite for knowledge and independence.

Quash it, and they will either retreat or rebel, perhaps looking elsewhere for ways to satisfy their aching curiosities. Furthermore, it could also lead to them developing an unhealthy fear of asking questions in later life such as at school with detrimental consequences - the equivalent of a brick wall to success.

The same can be said of us adults in which asking questions isn't second nature to us.

The quality of our lives depends on questions we ask. Questioning makes you open, wiser and creates happiness.

Remember, knowledge is having the right answer. Intelligence is asking the right question.

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