Child is asking WHY? WHY? WHY?

Have you entered the phase of childhood where your child is asking ‘why’?

If you tallied up how many questions your child asks in a day, would the total number blow your mind?

Read the following story and see if you can relate:

Connor and I saw a big snake in the forest one morning. We talked about what snakes eat, where they sleep, etc. That afternoon, I was making a snack in the kitchen and Connor and I had been chatting for awhile when I noticed a shift in his questions and body posture….

Connor: Mom, why don’t snakes eat pretzels? Why don’t snakes eat tables? Shoes? Icecream?

Me: “What I know, is that snakes eat worms and different kinds of bugs.”

Connor: “Mom, mom why do they eat bugs? Do snakes drink juice!”

Me: “I am making a snack right now but you can look at pictures of a snake in your books if you are still curious about what they eat. I am finished talking about it right now.”

Connor: “Mom, WHY do snakes eat bugs? Why mom? Why? Answer me mom!”

Me: ….Starts to quietly talk out loud to myself about the ingredients I need for my muffin recipe….“Connor, I hear you, you want to know more about what snakes eat.” ….continues to ignore the WHHHYYYYY and slowly goes about making muffins.

Connor: Walks to the playroom and begins to play with his trains.

IT IS OK TO DISENGAGE FROM A CONVERSATION. NO MOM GUILT!

At the beginning, I could tell Connor was trying to make sense of snakes, so I engaged with him. But when I could tell his energy shifted and I was no longer enjoying the conversation, I established a boundary. His persistence will not gain a reaction from me.

TRY:

-Say a silly answer: “Yes, snakes eat chocolate ice cream and pizza!”

-Give hope: stating, “We can talk about this at dinner tonight.”

-Provide a different power: “You mash the bananas so well, can you help me do that for our muffins?”

Remember that your child is also learning how to converse and extend dialogues without a complete vocabulary or plethora of social skills.