Conversations with my 2.5-year-old daughter can be precious. Some of my favorite things she’s told me:
“Mommy, you’re my best friend.”
“I am beautiful.”
“Mommy, you’re a sweetie pie.”
“I’m listening.” (LOVE this one)
“I’m going to be a good helper with the baby.” (Due this summer with baby #2!)
When it comes to baby #2, my daughter has many questions. As soon as we enter into a conversation about her baby sister, we enter the neverending “why” chat. It goes a little something like this:
Lena: Mommy, can the baby sleep in my crib?
Me: No, the baby will have her own crib.
Lena: Why?
Me: Because she’ll need her own space.
Lena: Why?
Me: So she can have room to roll around?
Lena: Why?
Me: Because if she was in your crib, you would bump into each other.
Lena: Why?…..
You get the idea. These conversations go on until I normally say the phrase that makes me cringe every time I say it: “Just because,” the phrase of mommy defeat.
So, I did what most moms do, turn to google for answers. This “why” phase is actually pretty cool. According to WhatToExpect.com, “Toddlers are innately and unendingly curious about the world and want to better understand the things they see, hear, and do. Ignoring the questions kids ask may stifle that curiosity and desire for knowledge, something you absolutely don’t want to do.”
Well, when you put it that way, it makes me want to up my mommy-answer game, which—let’s face it—can sometimes be impossible. I mean, how do I explain why to everything?
The best tip I found was to try turning the question around on the tot. So, instead of answering, I would ask my duaghter why she thinks we poop, or why she thinks it’s not a good idea to wear a bathing suit to school in March. And the tables have turned (cue evil mommy laugh)! Kidding, kind of. I’ll of course still be answering as many questions as I can, but when the conversation gets tired, I’ll be turning it to Lena.
How do you handle the “why” phase?
