Remember when I said I'd be posting here more often? Wasn't that funny? Yeah, I thought so too.
I do, actually, have several post ideas saved up. Of course, by the time I actually write them, they'll be old news. Kind of like how I realized the World Series was going on right about the time it ended. How about 'em Red Sox, huh? Wow.
Why am I so distracted? IF YOU ASK ME "WHY" ONE MORE TIME YOU ARE GOING TO YOUR ROOM.
Did you know 3-year-olds ask a lot of questions? Because when I read about this in child development books, I didn't really understand what they meant by "a lot." Like, babies cry "a lot," but mine rarely cried until I was ready to set fire to my own eyebrows just for a distraction. Or, toddlers say "no" a lot, but I always thought that was sort of cute.
Now I get it. If it were just your average scientific inquiry I could probably still deal. "The moon looks like that because the sun is shining on it." "The trees lose their leaves when it gets cold outside." I could spout answers like that all day and only be mildly annoyed.
Unfortunately, Raisin is also going through a phase (please, please, let it just be a phase) of questioning ME. And perhaps I have some kind of self-esteem issue, because it is making me absolutely bonkers. As in, the 3-year-old doesn't think I'm quite cut out for this job, and I think she might be right!
We have a lot of talks that go something like this:
Me: Are you getting dressed like I asked you to?
Raisin: Yes. Do I need clean underwear?
Me: Yes.
Raisin: Why!? Why do I need clean underwear?
(Please note that a) SHE ASKED ME, b) she DID need clean underwear, and c) if I had answered "no," the next thing out of her mouth would've been "Why DON'T I need clean underwear?")
It probably goes without saying, at least among parents, that I now fully understand the beauty and simplicity of "Because I said so, and I AM YOUR MOTHER!!!!"
4 comments:
Oh, the glory of "Because I Said So." That and "Because That's Just How God Made It" have become my fallbacks for when I just can't answer one more damn question without ripping my ears off and throwing them at her. Sometimes I hate the why.
Oh yeah.
That fine line between genuine inquisitiveness and sheer "I want every scrap of attention I can muster" obstinacy, it's sure a fun one to try to find. And then there's the category of whys designed to break down the rules. WHY must children do that?!
I went with the "because I said so" thing for a while, but I got so sick of the "why" thing that I eventually told Sam that he has to think about whether or not he already knows the answer before asking. And oddly enough that worked. NOw we just have to wait for Tess.
Just wait, one day they will say-Can I have the car tonight, mom?! :) Oh the joys of motherhood!! donna g
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