Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

[WhollyGhost]

is what I've been hearing from my nearly 3 year old for the past few weeks. It is really begining to get on my nerves. I've tried explaining to her that it is annoying, and ignoring the whys when she is plainly doing it to annoy.

Anyone got any better ideas?

Why?

Because.

What's worse is when they know the answer better than you do. For example, DD is obsessed with the first 3 Shrek films, don't ask me why. She has seen them roughly 9697895684847867685994 times. I saw them once.

So when she asks me why donkey does such and such, she knows the bloody answer and I don't!

I used to answer my DD in graphic detail... So, "Mummy, why are there cracks in the road" would get my version of the damage that ice does and why, etc. I think I bored her into submission.

Or say "why not?" which also worked.

I answer once then say "I've already answered that question I'm not answering it again" then ignore. Really annoying!!!!!!

Or, "why do you think xxxx?"

Oh yes "Because" and then refuse to engage any further sometimes works, in my experience it works better if you can manage to make a joke of it rather than through gritted teeth!

Or for DS I sometimes used to start that song (is it the Wizard of Oz?) - "because, because, because... because of the wonderful things he does!" and then he knew that was all he was getting. (Now he sometimes answers himself with that, but he usually changes it to the wonderful things mummy/daddy/whoever does).

I like the Delilah suggestion too though! Often the silliest things work best.

The comedian Louis CK on kids saying "Why":

It's a ten minute clip about parenthood, all of it very sweary and very funny, but if you want just the 4-min "Why" routine, start 6-min-15-sec into the video.

I used to give the real reason for why is it raining? etc. He was so bored he didn't ask often. I also pretend I can't hear.

Not quiet the same but check from Family Guy

Like GuillotinedMary it's often about a programme she's watching or something someone said at preschool which I haven't a clue about but if I answer with a "don't know", the reply is "well, just think mummy, just think".

because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because . . . . .

I think it was the lovely and much-missed MartianBishop who first posted this on MN:

A DIALOGUE WITH SARAH, AGED 3: IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT IF YOUR DAD IS A CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR, ASKING ?WHY? CAN BE DANGEROUS
By Stephen McNeil

SARAH: Daddy, were you in the shower?

DAD: Yes, I was in the shower.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: I was dirty. The shower gets me clean.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why does the shower get me clean?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: Because the water washes the dirt away when I use soap.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why do I use soap?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: Because the soap grabs the dirt and lets the water wash it off.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why does the soap grab the dirt?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: Because soap is a surfactant.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why is soap a surfactant?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: That is an EXCELLENT question. Soap is a surfactant because it forms water-soluble micelles that trap the otherwise insoluble dirt and oil particles.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why does soap form micelles?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: Soap molecules are long chains with a polar, hydrophilic head and a non-polar, hydrophobic tail. Can you say ?hydrophilic??

SARAH: Aidrofawwic

DAD: And can you say ?hydrophobic??

SARAH: Aidrofawwic

DAD: Excellent! The word ?hydrophobic? means that it avoids water.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why does it mean that?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: It?s Greek! ?Hydro? means water and ?phobic? means ?fear of?. ?Phobos? is fear. So ?hydrophobic? means ?afraid of water?.

SARAH: Like a monster?

DAD: You mean, like being afraid of a monster?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: A scary monster, sure. If you were afraid of a monster, a Greek person would say you were gorgophobic.

(pause)

SARAH: (rolls her eyes) I thought we were talking about soap.

DAD: We are talking about soap.

(longish pause)

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why do the molecules have a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: Because the C-O bonds in the head are highly polar, and the C-H bonds in the tail are effectively non-polar.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Because while carbon and hydrogen have almost the same electronegativity, oxygen is far more electronegative, thereby polarizing the C-O bonds.

SARAH: Why?

DAD: Why is oxygen more electronegative than carbon and hydrogen?

SARAH: Yes.

DAD: That?s complicated. There are different answers to that question, depending on whether you?re talking about the Pauling or Mulliken electronegativity scales. The Pauling scale is based on homo- versus heteronuclear bond strength differences, while the Mulliken scale is based on the atomic properties of electron affinity and ionization energy. But it really all comes down to effective nuclear charge. The valence electrons in an oxygen atom have a lower energy than those of a carbon atom, and electrons shared between them are held more tightly to the oxygen, because electrons in an oxygen atom experience a greater nuclear charge and therefore a stronger attraction to the atomic nucleus! Cool, huh?

(pause)

SARAH: I don?t get it.

DAD: That?s OK. Neither do most of my students.

LOL, funny rusty.

Someone once looked at me in a very sympathetic way in the queue at Asda and said "Oh dear, you have a Why child".

It was one of the funniest things ever.

Thank you Rusty, after a long and rubbish day, that's made me [hgrin]

I cant take credit for this and I cant remember which forum I saw it on. But its awesome and the look for defeat my childrens faces is priceless!

me: come have lunch
dd (2yrs): why?
me: so you can eat duh, you dont want to me hungry do you?
dd: why?
me: z
dd: why?
me: z
dd: starts to say why, thinks about it. hmphs and wanders off

As a teenager I used to indulge friends little sister (youngest of 4, so at home the answer was understandably "because") - when "why is a stone a stone" was answered with an in depth discussion of volcanoes she gave up .

I found the wrong answer with my DC was "I don't know" because they would come back with "well can we google it, then?"

When DD does this to me (especially when it is something that she actually knows), I reply "you tell me".

My little ones not quite at this stage but thanks everyone for the ammunition! Definitely going to use singing Delilah!

DD's father is VERY clever (read geeky) so I'm pretty sure she'll have to endure several conversations similar to MartianBishop's. Poor kid, a mum that just sings and a Dad that over explains!

'Ask your father'
'Just because'
'Don't know'
'Ask your teacher'
'Look it up'

but when I start to answer he sjust ignores me and starts going on about something else 'oooh look mmuuy, there's a cigarette on the ground'

I like HelenMumsnet. She is funny.