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?

OP - telling an almost-3 year old that something they are doing is annoying is like a red rag to a bull - guaranteed to get them doing it more and more!

Saying "why do you think" actually sometimes works with my DD (3.4), especially when she asks "why" about something she either knows ("why do I have to get dressed?") or might be able to figure out ("why is the grass wet?").

ROFL at all the above

How about giving a really bad or totally un-related crazy answer

So let's say she asks "why do we have 2 ears" - answer: Not sure maybe becuase they didn't have enough ears when it all started

My mum (brought up for of us) suggested saying "because its nice" to such questions. It worked for me and my 2 ds so maybe it would work for you.

You have 2 ears so that your glasses don't slip off.

My mum used to make up odd answers to questions that some people actually believed.

I agree that "Why do you think?" has IME been the best/quickest way to short-circuit incessant "why"-ing.

my kids all gave up on this fairly young as they tend to get very long proper answers and their eyes glaze over.

Now they tend to wander off halfway through and leave me explaining cloud formation to my dinner

2 year old ds2 is speech delayed so I have it all ahead of me with him once he learns to say 'why' though

Oh I am totally going to include 'ask your father' in my armoury - brilliant!

dgs 2.7
Why is that a swan?
pranma
It just is,that's what a swan looks like.
dgs
Why is it not a gooses?
pranma
Because it is a swan.
dgs
Why is it a swan?
pranma
It is a swan.
dgs
Why is a gooses like a swan?
Why is that duckie so big?
pranma
It isnt a duck darling its a swan.
dgs
I think it's a gooses!!!!!

Exit pranma sobbing into a bag of stale bread and wisshing we'd gone to Tesco [his most favourite outing].

Sometimes I say 'That is not a why question' and ignore.
Sometimes I give a massively detailed explanation as to why and then I say no more why questions ok.
Sometimes I say, right, you have 3 more why questions left to use up so use them carefully and when they are done that's it for the the next hour/rest of the morning/until tomorrow

My mums favourite reply to "why" is :

" 'y' is a curly letter and you can't make it straight"

it used to drive my siblings and I crazy, and now I use it on my kiddies. However I do use the "because!" with my children now and with them slightly older I find what works best is replying with: "why do you think?" (very important reply for santa claus questions!)

I tried the I don't know route with ds and got another why to which I responded well Mummy doesn't know everything. Three guesses to what that was countered with

'Why not?'

for attention op, much like this thread title. Now where's that hide button.

Why, I've no idea, why at the same age I said why to everything, but I'm assured I did

Ds1 once askedme "Why?" 145 times in a 45 minute walk around morrison's

I was a 'why child' and can still remember my dads reply:
Because why is not a zed.

:-D

I usually do react with humour, but in situations like the one colditz describes, I wish she used a dummy. She really is often doing it to wind me up, because she thinks it is funny. And when I'm not busy/tired it sometimes is, so it's all my own fault.

several times a day we have this conversation:

Me: why do you always say why
DD: because why
Me: why is that...

I feel your pain, DS has just entered this phase too.

So far I've been using 'why do you think?' for questions he knows the answer to already and (being a bit geeky) very long, literal answers to genuine questions - what's scary is how much of the answers he is soaking up and repeating back at me. Not sure what I'll do when he asks me a question I can't answer!

ScroobiousPip (what is Scroobious btw?) - if you don't know the answer it's an excellent opportunity to foster independent learning, research skills and teach that Mummies Don't Know Everything. "I don't know why, shall we have a look on the internet / in a book / get a book from the library next time we go there?"

In my Good Mummy moments I have actually had the energy / inclination to do this and we end up watching hours of jousting / ballet / spaceships on YouTube, or finding out something on Wikipedia and it's actually quite fun. Obviously can only be reserved for very occasional responses to the whywhywhys.

My ds is 5, and has been a why child since he could speak. He has two scientist parents and an inquiring mind. Hence, he can tell you all about the Yucatan Penninsula theory of extinction. tectonic plate theory and how the sun works among many other things. We thought we could bore him into submission on why, but he remembers it all and then produces it again with more whys. Which is a little tiring.

I have been struggling to get my son to answer his own name when I ask, so I think that it's brilliant that yours is asking you why about everything... cherish it! :c)

me: dd3 that's too many questions, please stop
dd3: how many more questions can I have?
me : 3
dd3: just 3?
me: well it was 3 but you've asked another so it's two now! better think before you ask the next one
dd3:

Unless it was a question worth answering my standard answer was

"When you can answer, Why the Duck Billed Platypus, than I'll tell you"

Then Platypus debate, with my insisting he will know the answer to everything when he figures it. This resulted in welcome quiet pondering.

Roughly five years later

DS "Why do we have insects"

HD: All part of the balance of life son

DS: Yes but whhhy insects?

HD: Why the DBP?

DS: Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

DS: Because it is?

HD: Bloody hell son, you've finally got it!

DS: So insects are, because they are?

HD: Yup

DS: So why the Sun, is because it is?

HD: Yup

DS: Cool

and thus ended the many years of WHY?

My father used to say "to keep the elephants away" in response to why questions

Thanks Widgeon. I like the idea of self-taught learning. Preferably while I sit down with a cup of tea and a biscuit.

(PS Scroobious Pip is a favourite rhyme by Edward Lear - nonsense, like most of my posts)

My DH is a secondary school teacher and independent learning is a big thing in schools. And very popular with DH!!

Edward Lear is also very popular with DH - can't believe I haven't heard of ScoobiousPip considering he has been reciting Lear's poems at me well before we had DC

DD1 (3) thinks that King Xerxes is hilarious. If you ask her what begins with X she says gleefully "King Xerxes!". And anything with one eye is a Cyclops .

There was an Old Man with a Beard...