If your kid asked you "Where does the moon go when it's not there?" , what would you say?

I have a kid?

I'd explain the whole Earth moving bit. I wouldn't make anything up.

"To the other side of the world. When we see the sun, the other side of the world sees the moon. When we see the moon, they see the sun."

I've been asked this before, many times (although not by my kid, as I don't have one).

The other side of the world

The truth.. that I take it down and put it in the washing machine.

I'd explain that that sentence doesn't really make too much sense and tell him/her how the orbits work.

God eats it!

up your ass

The other side of the Earth.

It rotates to the other side of the earth.

You would actually say that to your own child.

I think I'll treat this as hypothetical, because I get questions like this a lot. My daughter is an inquiring mind... and I don't always pretend to have the answers. A few weeks ago, when questions got scientific, I'd refer her to Ben..

Once, she asked her third grade teacher how a human brain works. The teacher laughed at her and didn't really respond.

Sometimes I will tell her as much as I know... but I also want her to seek the answers for herself, like I do when I'm curious about something. She's learning to use the internet more when she needs answers.

> You would actually say that to your own child.

It's a joke: chill!!!!

I had hoped it was a joke, but it just didn't seem very funy.

This is the sort of thing that makes me think sometimes, just a tiny bit, that I'd like to have had kids. I'd have a great time answering questions like that from little ones.

I love it too. It's pretty cool to give new ways of thinking to the little sponges.

Maybe I could get your number and just refer my kid to you with the tough questions You could start a kid question hotline, answering the questions parents can't answer.... This way, you can answer the questions without dealing with the other crap.

> I had hoped it was a joke, but it just didn't seem very funy.

Well I always did prefer British comedy to American comedy

Its gone to sleep ............ but TBH it depends on the age of the Kid

A perfect opportunity to teach a child. DEPENDING on the age of the child, you can say, "the moon has gone away to sleep".

I try to never give silly or baby answers; I feel it's belittling. I explain things as accurately as possible.

I would say it is there, it's just hiding.

Me too, if I know what I'm talking about. If I don't know enough about the subject, I will have her look it up online... much like our parents would have sent us to the dictionary when we asked how to spell a word.

I think most children want real answers and as their parents, we are obligated to give them those answers. I hate when I hear answers like the sky is blue because it just woke up or some other bullcrap that would only make sense to an utter moron.

I will admit to spreading silly wive's tales (ie. Mother nature spilled her basket of potatoes/is bowling when it thunders)... but they are always told in jest... and my kid knows the difference between made up stories for fun and a real answer to a real question.

"Out of view, you stupid idiot."

JFGI

A kid question hotline would be fun. At least part-time it would be. You can call me or send email whenever you have a question to pass on.

would depend on their age, older than 6 or 7, i would give the real explanation. 5 or younger, i might make up a good story.

To Australia.

Around to the other side of the planet so those people can see it too. It would be about sharing.

It is there.

It lurks in the bushes while you are at school and watches you through the window with that creepy pedo-face of his.

do *you* think the moon is sleeping?

It's an easy answer to a young mind.

When I was a child my mother told me that thunder was caused by angel's bowling.

To bed, its done its job.
To the other side of the world

How cute! Your mother has a bright imagination, easy answer for a child to understand.

The little green men come and pick it up in their space ship... Or maybe the big dragon up there in the sky eats it every night and craps it out in the morning...

"When the centrifical force of the earth holds it within it's eliptical orbit in such a place and time that the solar radiation of light can't reach this phenomanen, it obliterates the light into fragaments of.... OH never mind... The Cow ate it!". (pardon my spelling).

There never was a moon we tell our kids

I would say that sometimes we can't see it because it's on the other side of the Earth, and sometimes we can't see it because it's hidden by a shadow. I wouldn't want to immediately launch into a detailed explanation of the moon's phases but I might use a slightly different explanation if we'd already talked about eclipses, as I wouldn't want them to get confused between a varying shadow that is cast and a permanent shaded area . Any further explanation would depend on what they asked next (if anything).