2 1/2 says why all the time, even if he gets an answer
Ok I read all the responses to my question and took some advice. I have been a mom for 23 years (my oldest). I tried to ask the 2year old what he thought. I said Why do you think the flower is pink? He said Why, I said I am asking you, Why you think the flower is pink. He said Why? I said you tell me Why. He said I did. I say Why Why Why Dident you hear me. Ok I guess this child is going to make me crazy !!!!!
LOL...I just posted this on my Facebook profile this week...about being driven to the brink of insanity by the constant repeating of W-H-Y
I required my kids to complete the sentence. 1. so i knew what they wanted to know. 2. if they couldn't bother to complete the sentence, they didn't really care and stopped asking why. My kids all stopped asking the annoying non-why. Then my neighbor's boy came along - and he asked why all the time, completing the sentence! Since he wasn't mine, I answered his questions. If he were my child (and since I have less stamina than his wonderful mom), I would have said, "Mommy has no more words left. I love you." I did that when exhausted at the end of the day with my kids when they were little. They all love to learn and are interested in the world around them - and they know that I have limits!
Normal!!! All I can say is hang in there, try not to go crazy and do your best to answer all those whys:) It gets better!
Hi Mama,
Toddlers say why, partically because they want to know, partically because they do not fully understand the answer and partically because they want you to talk to them.
To stop this behavior, use examples that she will understand, like the earth is round like a ball. You can also just change the subject. It's a good way to ease your stress and make her think of something else.
R. Magby
A favorite technique of mine, and one which brings some delightful and funny answers, is to turn the question back to the child. "Why do YOU think that happens?"
Of course, they'll still ask again a couple of minutes later. WHY do they do that? :-o
I love this stage... it's always too short.
Of course, I always gave the *whole* answer, which could take upwards of 30 minutes to an hour (I mean, if you're explaining why the sky is blue... first you have to explain waves and photons and the color spectrum), OR told them I didn't have time to explain, but in about 5 minutes if they could remember I'd LOVE to explain.
For some reason, this phase only ever lasted a couple weeks. I can't imagine why. ;)
I know it is annoying but it is GREAT. short answer: they have so much to learn, their trying to figure it all out and they just love to learn it all. they will get over this and move on to something else soon. LOL I have to laugh bc as I type something else my 20 old is driving me nuts by saying "momma I need something else"
Sounds so familiar... my 2 1/2 year old son is the same way, except he says it in a drawn out, bemoaning way... I have no answers, but it is normal!!
that is what their job is! wait till it is all'NO'..............
cause that's what they do! LOL My cousin did that all the time at that age. So far my daughter has not hit that stage. But I am waiting for it!
Why do you ask? HAHA Just kidding.
My daughter went through this last year. If I knew the answer, I would give it to her, if not then I told her we could look it up on the computer at home. I didn't give fake answers (ie: "because the fairy princess made it so") and most times it lead to more "why's". If I simply wasn't in the mood I told her she could get 2 extra why's to each why question. So if she asked "why is it hot outside" and I say "because it's summer and we are closer to the sun" then she could ask only 2 more why's (ie: why are we closer to the sun? etc). This would also make her concentrate on counting and eventually making her really think about that 2nd why. Of course she would then ask another why about something else but at least I didn't have to go to the "because God made it so". lol
I do have to say because of all of her questions, she's the only 4 year old that I know who know's who Plato (and not Play-doh) is! :-)
~Kristal
So does my son! You're not alone!!!
Normal.
Next, he will say "how come..."
and it never ends... the many variations.... oh what fun!
My 3 year old is going thru the "why phase" too. When he asks why, I do my best to answer his question. But if I tell him not to do something and he asks why, I say, "Don't ask why. Say 'Ok Mommy.'" It took awhile, but sometimes he says "ok mommy" without being prompted to do so.
I try to look at it as increasing his knowledge.... then it doesn't seem quite so irritating. Good luck!
I just read all these answers, because my 33 month old son has been asking WHY non-stop for about 3 months. I always try to give an explanation, but sometimes the question WHY just doesn't make any sense, and it's clear he just wants to make conversation (or push my buttons), as in "Mommy's car is blue"... "WHY?" "Because it is." I hate just saying that, but what other answer is there?
My 3yo does this to me all the time. I'm finally beginning to figure out that more often than not (perhaps always), he's really trying to ask a different question but doesn't have the command of language to do so. Sometimes he's trying to ask "who" or "what". Sometimes he's trying to ask "why" about a different topic. If I start fishing around (ie. "Why did the little girl jump off her bike or why is the girl afraid of the dog?"), I can often figure out what it is that's eating at him. If he keeps pestering me, it seems the trouble is that I'm NOT actually answering the question he wants to be asking.
My kid is in that phase too. It's so cute! When he insists on why, I will answer playfully, "well, why are YOU....." and flip the tables on him. Like, his question du jour is "WHY are YOU a go-nup?" In response to me telling him things like "no, you cannot hold the big knife you are not a grown-up yet, and that big knife is for grownups only, why don't you hold your "big boy's knife instead?" So, I will ask him "well, WHY are YOU a big boy?" He say, "because I am a big boy!" so then I tell him "well, I am grownup then because I am a grownup!" and he will giggle. Sometimes he's ask again over and over and over, so I answer back the same way over and over and over, at times changing my voice or tickling him to make it humorous. he loves it!
A lot of times he really does not want to know why...especially after I have answered him many times before. He knows why already, or he knows the answer but is unable to comprehend it yet. So, the why question becomes a game, a cause and effect thing...if I say this word, I can guarantee my mom will say something back. So, once I realize it's become a game, I play!
My 2 1/2 year old has starting doing the same thing. I tried to curb it by telling him he's limited to 3 whys. So now when he hits his 3rd why, and I answer, he asks 'what do you mean by that?' Comedian. :)
