I must be a totally horrible, intolerant mummy but....

[trinityrocks]

My nearly 5 yr old is DRIVING ME MAD with questions ALL day, I have just put her to bed and had to say on the way out "night night sleepytime mummy loves you" over questions she was still asking but I just has to raise my voice slightly and ignore because I just can't cope with anymore today.
I know that it's good that she asks alot of questions but trying to answer them clearly and age appropriately without lying or just saying "because it is" is sooo wearing. Is it just me??? Am I horrible????? And I know that it's a faze they all go through but she started this at 3 and I'm having trouble keeping going. I am due in 3 wks and very tired also. Any ideas on what I could do to help me cope, I don't want her to stop asking but I need to cope better. Maybe she is bored, maybe we should get out more........oh I don't know I'm just crap at the moment

You're not crap or horrible, we all get fed up of the constant questions!! Have you ever read the earth mother thread on mumsnet? read that and you'll soon realise you're not alone

I've just put ds (who is 2) to bed without a bath because he was mucking about instead of taking his trousers off. So the ready filled bath was abandoned, and he found himself in early bed. And I'm not due for another 6 weeks. So no, I don't think you're a horrible intolerent mummy (or we both are!)

NOT horrible, just a v tired (pregnant) mummy. Now, by order of the beansprout, please go and do something nice for yourself and stop giving yourself a hard time for being human....

I know what you mean. DD is 4.6 yo and constantly asks questions as well. Sometimes I have to plead for no more questions nad try to divert her attention. Ds is 2.6 yo and is all why why why as well. It's not just you

me as well!
It's very wearing isn't it? I descended unannounced at my Mum's today with mine because I really couldn't bear another minute of it all on my own.
And, also, trinityrocks, don't forget it's nearly Spring so she'll be able to go outside more!
Hang in there

You are allowed to say "because", or "I don't know", or "that's enough questions just now, dear" or "it just IS, all right???" when you can't stand it any more, tr! Give yourself a break, you are not crap, in fact you sound positively saintly to me

thank you sooooooooooooooooo much, I really felt close to losing the plot earlier and bursting into tears and deciding I was the worst Mum in the world. I know that's the deppression aswell ( i am on medication and it is better) but phew I was feeling realy shit just now. Thanks for your support, I really feel like I'm not alone now.
Maybe I'll try and get us out in the garden tommorow and dig out a football or something!! [feeling more positive emoticon]

Trinityrocks, here is the earth mother thread I told you about - read this, it will make you laugh

you are allowed to throw it back at them

why x mummy?

well why do you think?

you are allowed to ask them to stop (it is a social skill reading other people's moods)

you are allowed to make up things to mess with their heads {my personal favourite )

how do lights work mummy?

by magic darling

(OK nicked that out of Calvin and Hobbes, but it was fu.u.unny )

WHy did you bury the football Trinityrocks

I got ss to stop saying why, when I changed his name to why, he saw the funny side and stopped within two days, I kid you not!

my dp had a good trick that he used with the kids I used to babysit.
the 6yr old was CONSTANTLY asking questions, half of which were ridiculous things that he already knew the answer to, so dp would turn it round on him... ie:

barney: why are you making tea?
dp: why do YOU think we're making tea?
barney: (with silly grin on his face) for a drink?
us: yes!

It works with questions they don't know the answer to as well, and makes them have a good think about it. Because a lot of the time they can figure stuff out for themselves, and if they can't then you can help them along.
If nothing else it'll make the questions last longer so that you don't get as many!

And ditto what others have said, you DON'T have to answer everything. Your DD is old enough to understand if you tell her that it is bedtime now, no more questions, she can talk about it in the morning!

I often do what Twiglett does and just make it up:

Whose is that car Mummy?
Janes.

Who lives in that house Mummy?
Mike.

I also answer a lot of questions with 'by magic'

It drives me mad too and ds is just coming up to 4. It is constant, especially when we are out in the car. Today we had 'how do you make shoes?', 'what is chicken made of?', 'why does this tunnel bend round?', 'why is that aeroplane green and white?'.... Arrgghghghghghghgh! I do say sometimes, 'right, that's enough questions now, lets just listen to the radio'!!!

oh yes, definitely throw questions back - 'why do you think?' Probably the best actually as it gets them to think for themselves!

thanks for the link littlemiss

Twiglett THAT'S A QUESTION lol

You are most definitely not crap. It just gets to you some times. Then you feel bad because it got to you. I defy any mum to say they have never felt like this!!

trinity - this is the worst time I promise. I only actually made it to 37 weeks in my 2nd pregnancy, but the last few were sheer hell. One day I lost it with 2year old dd because she'd spilt ater on the carpet- it was only a drop but she got put into her room crying her eyes out and I did the same in mine.
But as soon as I had ds I felt 10 million times better. I coped brilliantly with teh sleep deprevation, leaky boobs, everything, I think because it was just such a relief not to be pregnant anymore that anything else was easy. I hope that gives you some hope that you only have 3 more weeks of being an intolerant mummy. (which your dd won't remember anyway)

thanks prufrock, I do feel better for hearing that

my 4 year old is doing this constantly and will use some of the great suggestions here.
Did you here the story off radio 4 about this - one bloke was asked by his young son where poo came from. He took a deep breath and gave a long talk about eating food, into your tummy, digest the goods bits etc, intestines, bowel workings etc. and coming out of your bottom. Little boy says "oh." then a few minutes later says "so, daddy, where does piglet come from?"

I try to answer honestly but we all have our limits and limitations - sometimes it is hard to explain things like "why did that man jump off a bridge?" when the news is on or "so how do you make a rocket fly in the sky?".

Love the poo and piglet story, bathmummy!

Penelope Leach tells a similar one - "where did I come from, Mummy?" - deep breath, long explanation about birds and bees, interrupted by "I only want to know where I came from - was it Colchester, like X?"

Don't know if you've got time for this but occasionally, and if it's a suitable question, you could sit down and consult an encyclopaedia together. This appeals to me as it involves sitting down, I get to read something usually interesting and dd gets attention - of course when number 2 arrives this will all go to the dogs (for me). Good luck with the rest of your pg and the new baby trinityrocks

Here's another one to make you laugh:

When DP was a wee un his mum couldnt stand the 'WHY??' any more and resorted to the old '.. because Y is a crooked letter and you can't make it straight'.

Cue DP:' ...who bent it???'