The Why Factor

Help!!! Send reinforcements, pronto.

A new stage has begun at the Mom et al household, one that I never saw coming. It started off slowly, that preschool curiosity. Little questions here and there pop into my daughter’s three year old brain, and require an immediate response from the Mommy and Daddy Authorities of All Knowing. Some are easy enough to answer, but as of late there is always a follow up.

“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to take a shower.”
“Why?”
“So I can clean up.”
“Why?”
“I have to go to work.”
“Why do you have to go to work?”
“It’s my job.”
“Why is it your job? “
“I need to make money so I can take care of us.”
“Why?”
“So we can live in this nice house and buy you food and clothing.”
“Why do you need to buy food and clothing?”

This keeps going. Mind you, I haven’t had a drop of coffee yet, and we’ve already had over ten other conversations of similar fashion.

I look at my daughter, and I can almost see the wheels turning in her brain as we shuffle our way through various topics. She’s not trying to piss me off with these ungodly early-hour extended conversations; she just truly wants to know. I’m puzzled with how to handle this. I tend to keep answering her until I reach a level of frustration, or find myself unsure of how to respond to her most recent inquiry. Sometimes, I’m just all out of ideas for the impromptu answers that I’m trying to make up.

While reading a book:
“Why does Hannah really like hot pink?”
“It’s her favorite color.”
“Why?”
“Because she likes it more than any other color.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know why, it’s just what she likes. You have a favorite color too, right?”
“Yes. OK, then why are her pants wet?”
“Because she had an accident.”
“Well, why are they dry on the next page?”
“Uh…because it’s later and they are dry now.”
“Why didn’t she change clothes if she had an accident?”
“Uh…”

So, did you see what I did there, midway through the conversation? How I tried to answer her question with another question? I think I’m so clever, that I can put an end to the color inquisition. But it’s no matter to my little brainiac; we’ll just move on to the next topic.

Yesterday morning she asked me why the shower head has all the different little holes on it. I confess that having already gone through a multitude of conversations to this point I pretty much just snapped at her, “Because it does.”

Nice. Way to encourage there, Mom. I definitely need to work on my question-answering skills. I love that she’s so curious and actually has the desire to know why shower heads are designed the way they are, but I have to be honest. Sometimes I wish I could save my sanity just a smidgen and tell her:

“That’s a great question. Why don’t you Google it?”

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10 comments on “The Why Factor”

Bethany on July 10, 2009 at 9:33 pm said:

OMG I am going to use that last line on my seven year old!!! Brilliant! Her brain NEVER shuts down! My advice to you is to give her a question limit for a given topic. I soooooo need to do this. With three girls I am forever answering questions and giving explanations about the world around us. Sounds fulfilling but man I am tired!!! LOL

Bethany on July 10, 2009 at 4:33 pm said:

Erin on July 11, 2009 at 1:40 am said:

Welcome to my world! I get the million questions from both kids, 4 and 2 1/2. I've started giving very long winded, extremely detailed answers to questions. Eventually they get tired of listening to me talk! Good luck and enjoy the questions. Soon they will be teenagers and will refuse to speak to us at all!

Erin on July 10, 2009 at 8:40 pm said:

Nanny Dee on July 11, 2009 at 2:30 am said:

Luckily this stage only lasts for about a year — that's right a year (!), but it could always be worse. ;DSoon she'll figure out that mom doesn't have all the answers — it's okay to say you don't know.When she asks questions you couldn't possibly know the answer to (like the book/story questions), you could always turn the tables and ask why she thinks Hannah always wears pink? It'll kick her brain into gear in a different direction and might end the line of questioning on that topic. Good luck! Dee http://newenglandnanny.blogspot.com

Nanny Dee on July 10, 2009 at 9:30 pm said:

Luckily this stage only lasts for about a year — that's right a year (!), but it could always be worse. ;D

Soon she'll figure out that mom doesn't have all the answers — it's okay to say you don't know.

When she asks questions you couldn't possibly know the answer to (like the book/story questions), you could always turn the tables and ask why she thinks Hannah always wears pink? It'll kick her brain into gear in a different direction and might end the line of questioning on that topic.

Good luck!

Dee
http://newenglandnanny.blogspot.com