Before I had Kenny, I had heard and read about parents getting irritated with constant "why?" questions from their children. I thought to myself that these parents were just not patient enough, and that they failed to consider how beneficial, in terms of language skills, that this type of interaction was for their children.
Well, the shoe is on the other foot now. I, too, find myself getting a little bit impatient when faced with the "why?" that just never ends. Cute, but also kind of irritating. For example, when I tell Kenny that I'm dropping him off at daycare because I have to work:
"Why are you going to work?"
"Because I like to work"
"Why do you like to work"
"Because it's fun"
"Why is it fun?"
At about this point, I pull out some techniques to cut short the questioning. For example, "Look, do you see that bulldozer!", that always work. Or I say, "Why do you think? I almost never get a real answer to that one, but it points the conversation in a different direction.
On the plus side, I'm now getting some real "conversations" with Kenny. For instance, on the way home from daycare he might tell me about a fire drill, where there was a loud siren, and then they all had to hold hands. I love it.
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