It’s a simple question.

Perhaps the most basic, come to think of it. The first thing my children ever asked, and the most common question to this day.

“Why?”

“Why, daddy? But why?”

I guess we all start out that way. Naturally curious with a burning desire to know “why” about pretty much anything and everything.

As we get older, it seems we stop asking the question. Instead of “why,” we “ok,” and simply accept whatever we've been told.

Recently, I was reminded that if you don’t ask why you might miss out.

At our annual fire inspection for the office, I learned something I’d somehow managed to miss for the last seven years: we have to have our fire extinguisher serviced annually.

(Admit it - you didn’t know fire extinguishers need to be serviced, either, did you?)

Anyway, I called up Mid Carolina Fire & Safety here in Monroe who sent a technician out later that day.

“Sorry, I can’t service that one," he said, "it’s been recalled."

“Can you sell me another one?”

Ten minutes and $55 later, there was a brand new one hanging on the wall. With September being National Preparedness Month, I figured I’d take the recalled one home and let the kids practice with it, so I sat it by the front door.

A week or so went by, and whenever I’d walk past it, I’d wonder why it had been recalled in the first place.

Finally, I googled it.

It turns out it’s because the plastic handle was known to fail. Fail as in “your house is burning down, and your fire extinguisher won’t spray anything.” Or, sometimes, to fail as in “plastic nozzle detaches with enough force to cause bodily harm.”

Not good, either way.

So I found out the reason for the recall, but what I really learned is that I have a house full of recalled fire extinguishers.

The one in the laundry room? Recalled.

The one upstairs near the kid’s bedrooms? Recalled.

The one in my truck? Also recalled.

Here I thought I was Mr. Extra Prepared when I might not have so much as one fire extinguisher that works.

Perhaps the never-ending demands from my kids to know why isn’t such a bad thing after all.