Four year old's ask a lot of why's. I try to answer. With the real answer. I was halfway through explaining why the sky was blue when I realized that this tactic does not work. I've tried other tactics: change the subject, ignore, deny. But this is my newest method of dealing. When she asks why her eyebrows are small, I will ask one of the following. And so on and so forth into infinity.
Why is there poop on these jeans? I washed these didn't I?
Why can't I hear the TV, it's turned almost all the way up?
Why did it take me three weeks to read a 200 page book?
Why do I love being alone so much?
Why can't I find any of my measuring cups?
Why are all of my bras in a 4 year old's toy cubby?
Why am I making macaroni and cheese again?
Why is the first half hour of work the most pleasant half hour of my whole day?
Why can't I sleep?
Why are there marbles on the floor?
Why do I know how to dress Polly Pocket?
Why are there more stuffed animals in this house than penguins in the arctic?
Why do I know all the actor's names on Suite Life of Zach and Cody and it's spin-off, Suite Life on Deck?
Why does Hannah Montana wear the same stuff Debbie Gibson did when I was your age?
Why do we go through milk so fast?
Why do I only bake from a mix now, when I used to make stuff from scratch?
Why do we always need more laundry detergent?
Why are there more clothes in the pink/red pile downstairs than all the other piles combined?
Why do I buy hairbows when you won't let me fix your hair?
Why am I the only who ever cooks dinner?
Why do I have to give up caffeine, when I really believe it's the only thing keeping me sane?
Why can't I remember anything anymore?
Why do I suddenly consider leather flip flops dress shoes?
Perhaps this will cause her to come up with her own list of becauses. Or maybe she'll just get frustrated and say "Because God made it that way," like I do when I can't take it anymore and I've defined 13 words in my sentence about why the sun shines.
"The sun is a mass of incandescent gas, a gigantic nuclear furnace. Where hydrogen is burned into helium at a temperature of million degrees." Thank you, They Might be Giants!!
9 comments:
Er, there aren't ANY penguins in the arctic! Just in the southern hemisphere. :)
Yo ho its hot, the sun is not
a place where we could live
But here on Earth there'ld be no life
Without the light it gives.
It is so hot that everything on it is a gas: Iron, copper, aluminum and many others.
It is a little scary how often we as a family will belt this song at the top of our lungs. Anna learned it on the guitar so that noone can question our geek cred.
I just read recently that if they're not interested in the answers to the why questions, then they are just asking for attention. I think I would still want to answer the questions, though. What do you think?
Finally a song I know. I love that song. My coteacher didn't want me to play it for our solar system unit, but I did anyway, every day until we moved on to another topic.
ann
Suze - You're right, I meant Antarctic. I was really trying to write fast. Thanks for reading carefully!
Roy and Ann - Have you heard about their new album? It's all science songs and Why Does the Sun Shine is on there, along with Why Does the Sun Really Shine, so I have to buy it just to find out what the difference is. They emailed me earlier this week to tell me that it's available for preorder, so it should be out soon.
Ann - Yeah, I do. I answer her questions 90% of the time.
Love it. Sounds just like my days with TD and I answer the exact same way when I either a.) don't know the answer or b.) am too worn out to answer another freakin' question like - "Why is that an umbrella?" Geez...
Those are my favorite questions. (Dripping with sarcasm.) Mommy why is the outside outside? Mommy why is that a table? Mommy why is hair hairy?
What does that even mean?
Those are really profound questions. Seriously. In many ways questions like, "Why is that a table?" or "Why is hair hairy?", are at the very heart of human inquiry.
Philosophers have been trying to figure out such questions for 4000 years. Plato had his forms, Democritus had his atoms, etc.
If it was me, and I was asked "Why is that a table?". I would point at another table and ask her if it is a table? Then point at another table and ask her if it is a table? Then ask, if all three are tables and all three are different, what is it about them that make them tables instead of say chairs?
My gut tells me that her answer will be more insightful than a library full of philosphy books.
My gut tells me you haven't gotten to this phase. Or that you have better drugs than me, because it's not that I don't agree, just that I'm kinda rolling my eyes going yeah, right. Love ya!
Remember, I also have an 11 year old, so I have gone through this stage already, and I LOVED IT!!
But I am really really weird.
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