If you’ve ever been a mom of a toddler, you might recall the Why? stage. Yep. I see you baby boomers grinning. And millennials cringing. With every adult question or statement, a high-pitched Why? follows.
My ever-so-sweet three year old girl, who happens to be the middle child, started down the Why? path several months back. This is our second time around, though. And with age, comes experience, right?
It recently dawned on me that maybe, just maybe, there is a better answer to the Why? questions beyond truth and logic. Because, let’s just be real, no matter how simply and factually you try to answer their sweet, innocent, wide-eyed selves, they ALWAYS follow up with, yet another, Why?
I swear, I don’t want to be one of those because I said so parents. But after the 17th Why? I no longer have the desire to create an educational moment, my blood pressure has sky rocketed, shoulders are tense and I’ve completely forgot the original topic of discussion.
M – our middle child neck-deep into the Why? phase would be the toughest of our three children to test my new response mechanism on – so I went for it.
Mommy, can I have another cake?*
No.
Why?
Here it goes …. eyes locked in on her, huge grin on my face ….
Because, I love you.
Confused look. Silence.
IT WORKED!
I mean, what can a child say to that? They know at a young age that we as parents love them to pieces. So they simply can’t ask you why you love them – well they could, but don’t tell them that. We’ll see how long this lasts …
