Why? Why? Why?

[giraffesCANdriveAcar]

How do you cope with children who constantly ask why? I think its just become a standard response to any conversation.

3yr old - Is what your wellies?
Me - yes, my new ones.
3yo - Why? (
Me - so, we can go to the park like you asked.
3yo - Are you putting them on?
Me - yes...
3y0 - Why?
Me - I just told you
3yo - Is that your coat?
Me - Yes, you already have yours on
3yo - Why?
Me - It just is
3yo - Are you putting it on?
Me - yes...
3yo- Why?
Me - cos its cold
3yo - Me put my wellies on?
Me - yes if you want to come to the park and play
3yo - Why?
Me - because you cant go out with no shoes on, you'll get wet feet
3yo - Why?

Sometimes I reply with something random and she laughs at me for being silly and tells me the right answer, so she knows.

The only way she sometimes doesn't respond with why is if I ask a question in response to her question, maybe thats the way to go?! Just talk in questions?!

Conversation with my 13 year old yesterday;

DD - What's a dual carriageway?

Me -It's a road with concrete barriers down the middle which make two seperate carriageways

DD - what if it's metal barriers

Me - those too

DD - what if it's posts

Me - Yes - any sort of barrier

DD - what if it's just grass

Me - yes

DD - What it there are posts but no grass

Me yes

DD - what if it's wires with bits of cloth hanging off them

You get my drift......

Ahh this sounds familiary. Sometimes I forgot the question I am meant to be answering Sometimes I try to ignore the Whys? but get tripped up by the questions and end up answering anyway. And sometimes I wonder if I have been driven slightly mad.

Giraffes I share your pain. I have a 2.10 yo DS who is very very firmly in the 'why' phase. It has been going strong for the last month and I see no end in sight. I have tried both answering his questions and also ignoring them, but nothing seems to stop it. It is driving me slowly insane...

Ask them why they think whatever..basically the answer the question with a question thing. Are you putting your wellies on?
Why do you think I am?
Because we go to park?
Yes! Well done. Now shall we get your coat? (distraction style)

If they are being particularly tiresome questioning I often make a game with myself to see how many why?'s I can answer without resorting to Shush! Just BECAUSE! (my record is 34!!)

My three year old atm is obsessed with asking where things come from/how they are made/who bought him something...

My DS (2.6) keeps asking 'what is that ... called'.
e.g. what is that car called?
what is that cat called?
what is that man called?
what is that train called?
what is that bus called?
what is that noise called?

I am living in dread of the 'why' phase beginning.

Wait till they're 5 and instead of asking the questions, they're telling you the answers!!! Lol

Charlie - yy!! If I say I am not sure, will have to check/ask someone etc (tip: NEVER say you dont know!!) I get told by my almost 5 yr old "Thats ok Mummy, we can google it"

I do the same Spatcha, ask them the question back - "why do you think we are doing it DD?". The answer usually involves spaceships though, so I'm kinda glad I did ask

Eaglebird - that's so funny, my dd (2.9) is exactly the same.
What's that bus called?
What's mummy called?
What's that lady called? "Jane". What's Jane called?

I've been wondering when the Why's will kick in - if I ask her a Why question she doesn't seem to understand, so not sure what age that comes......

My DD has got wise to the 'what do you think?' tack and says 'I don't know, you talk the words mummy.'

Today I had to imagine what the honey monster on the sugar puffs packet might want to say to her toy dog, for about 20 minutes.

DD 'what's he saying now?'
Me 'erm, that he hopes you enjoy his lovely cereal?' puts box back in the cupboard.
DD 'What's he saying now to me?'
Me 'Nothing, he's asleep, it's dark'
DD I've woken him up again, what's he saying to doggy?
Me 'Do you like sugar puffs doggy?'
DD 'What's the doggy saying?'
Me 'no, he's not keen on sugar puffs, they're bad for his teeth'
DD 'why?'
Me 'because they're very sugary'
DD 'but why doesn't he like them? What's he saying to me now? What's he saying to me now? What's he saying to me now? What's he saying to me now?'
Me 'aaaaaaaaarrgh!'

Delilah!!!!

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself.

I dreaded the 'why' phase...

My mum used to say "because I said so" even if my 'why' wasn't in the right context and I hated that too.

I never use that with my DCs and give as much a valid reason/expliantion as possible and as most of you have said, ask the question back when appropiate.

No advice really but I do sympathise as my 3.10 year old dd has been doing this for ages and as a pp said, does it even when she knows the answer. Sometimes I also use the 'Why do you think?' but she's also grown wise to this one so it doesn't work that often any more!! What is worse though is that my 19 month old ds has already started the 'why' questions!!!! Presumably because he's heard dd doing it! Some days, I think I am going slightly insane!

DS is 5 an still asks loads of questions but my answers are no longer good enough

Ds - How old is our cat?
Me- 8
DS - No she isn't she's 3
Me - No, she is 8
DS - no she's 3 I want her to be 3
Me- Fine we can pretend she's 3
DS - well why did you say she was 8 then?
Me- Because she is 8
DS - NO SHE'S 3
Me- whatever

Hahaha Connor that is sooooo funny!!! Conversation with my 5 year old ds the other day

ds- Is Michael Jackson still dead mummy?
Me- of course he is
ds - oh yeah, he took too many drugs didn't he?
Me- yes
ds- but how did that kill him?
Me- it gave him a heart attack I think
ds- what's a heart attack again?
me- when you get a big pain in your chest
ds- I think I had one of them at school today mummy, no I definitely did!!

He does make me chuckle

Ds (3) is goign through the why stage as well as the 'who made that' stage, the 'how' stage, the 'what is x called' stage. Drives me vaguely round the bend.

Annoyingly he has some weird photographic memory so will say in Asda waitrose one day 'What that man on checkout called mummy?' and I will say distractedly 'er, John' - 2 weeks later we go back to the store, 'what that man called mummy?' ' er malcolm' cue ' from ds ' no mummy you say he called john, you said you said.'

Ds (nearly 4) Why?
I say why do you think?
Ds - I don't know that's why I'm asking you...