Hi there, my 3yr old daughter would like to know why? Why is Mama typing this? Why are you reading what’s just been typed? Why do people read? Why do people type? Why can’t you answer the question, “Why?” indefinitely?

It’s almost a cliche that you hear about, inquisitive children wanting to know all the answers, having more questions in their heads then there are answers in the world. At best it makes you laugh, at worst it drives you insane. Questions like, “Why are we getting dressed, why can’t we wear our pajamas outside?” followed by, “Why are you going to the bathroom?” might seem laughable to the aunt and/or uncle that can chuckle then go home to a house free of the never ending W-word.

We parents know that there’s a breaking point, where you cannot answer that question. It becomes surreal when you’ve patiently gone around and around with it to the point of getting philosophical. “Well honey, I don’t know why humans don’t like to be alone.” when the question started out as, “Why does the playdate have to end?” I think of myself as so accommodating when it comes to the stream of never ending questions but after a while, the W-word gets me I must admit. Perhaps it’s because I think at a certain point that’s what’s intended, how long can Mama answer Why? It’s an experiment, not to measure how much I know or how much I can talk, maybe just simply to measure how long I will play that game before breaking down and saying, “I have no idea, you tell me why!”

One thing I enjoy tremendously is toddler reasoning. It’s fantastically imaginative and,  in my daughter’s case, often involves dragons, dinosaurs and other animals that don’t reside in our area. The question, “What happened, you look a little upset?” has recently been answered by such creative answers as, “A dinosaur came and bit me on the nose.” -Ohhh. Now when I’m feeling particularly bratty I’ll throw out a Why-bomb just to play her own game. The twist - she has no tolerance for it! Basically after the second time I try to utter, “Wh…” she’ll cut me off at the pass and say, “I JUST TOLD YOU!”

Experts have a lot to say about this Why Phase. It’s a call to conversation, children want to talk to you, want to hear about the world around them, want to know all about the power of the word Why and a few other theories. In all fairness, much of the time it’s a perfectly reasonable question that I can answer and I know she’s a little sponge absorbing everything that is said and that’s fine, she’s still figuring out the world around the her and so am I. So I’ve got my best game face on as I go onto the the big W shaped field to answer as many of them as she can toss my way.