So, it’s been 19 days. 19 days since IT happened. 19 days since my child made a big discovery. Yep. It has been 19 days since the Little Mister discovered the word…
WHY.
And I am EXHAUSTED!
I have become his own personal ‘google’. Or probably not google. I’m kind of like a broken down Bing. Remember Bing? Is that still a thing? Well, I’m basically a crappier version of that.
I am being asked so many questions that I don’t fully know the answers to, let alone know how to explain them to an almost 4 year old in a way that he might understand!
In recent days I have been asked…
- What makes the rain come out of the clouds?
- How does music get onto the radio?
- Why does the moon follow us at night?
- Why can we only see a part of the moon?
- Why does Santa give toys from the shops?
- Do cows have gutters? (he meant udders but it took me a while to figure it out)
- How does helium make the balloons go up?
Then once I’ve given my best (but usually terribly articulated) answer, he’ll follow up with “WHY?”
WHY INDEED.
I also get the usual requests for snacks, demands for help with various things he wants to do around the house, questions about why things are where they are or why he’s not allowed to do something. Questions about what it is I am doing every second of the day.
I decided to do a little experiment. I decided that I would record every question I was asked. Just for a day. From the moment he got up until the moment I had time to sit down and write this blog post.
In 3.5 hours I have been asked a total of 110 113 114 115 questions.
ONE HUNDRED AND TEN THIRTEEN FOURTEEN FIFTEEN* QUESTIONS.
And I am also sure I missed a few. Not even kidding. I only recorded the genuine questions and even left out some repeat questions (i.e. the moments when he just kept slamming me with the same question until I answered – this kid gives no time to think y’all).
I did originally transcribe each question, but in the 10 minutes after the Little Mister got out of bed, I literally could not write fast enough (and show him enough attention) so I resorted to a tally system. I then just wrote down the most interesting ones:
- Where did you live when you were a baby? Why? (he should write blogging prompts haha)
- Did Daddy go on his (recent charity) bike ride in his car? (I answered that if he’d gone in his car it would have become a car ride and you can only do bike rides on a bike). When he got his answer, he asked – can you sing me a song about that?
- Can you get new clothes, because your shirts fall down? (someone isn’t a fan of my slouchy off the shoulder shirts worn around the house)
- Can you buy me more (kitchen) stools for me for my birthday?
- Why don’t we have blueberries? WHY DON’T WE? (um because every time I buy them you say you don’t like them…?)
Today, as I tried to take a moment to gaze off into the distance, I was asked, “What are you thinking about?”
When I answered that I was just thinking about how I’d love to get a new couch for the family room (yes – I was in fantasy land), he seemed satisfied…for about half a minute.
He then spent at least ten minutes trying to guess what I was thinking about at any given moment.
“Are you thinking about ALL the furniture?”
“Are you thinking about the doors? How about the doors? Do you think about them and how you can go inside or you can go outside?”
“Why? Why aren’t you thinking about the doors?”
Um…
And the craziest thing is when I ask the Little Mister “why” (on any topic), he looks all frustrated (without any sense of irony – obviously) and says, “Ugh. BECAUSE!”
Like that’s it. His whole answer.
Now I feel like I get why mums say that classic (and infuriating) line, “BECAUSE I SAID SO!”
I feel you, Because I Said So mums. I feel you.
In the last couple of weeks I have been unable to stay awake past 8:30pm (it’s the brain drain haha) and I keep waking at 3:30am for no other apparent reason than my brain realises this is the only quiet time I will be able to appreciate.
While I am so so so stoked that the Little Mister has an inquisitive mind and asks some really cool questions, am I a bad person for also kind of looking forward to the day when he can just google that shit?
Have you fielded any great/embarrassing/confusing/complicated questions lately? Anyone want to come and answer the Little Mister’s questions for a day? Or all week? Want to ask ME a question (may as well haha)?
*the total kept climbing WHILE I was writing this post. Seriously. SEND HELP.
