Has your toddler also discovered the question “why?” and by the time you’re reading this, you’re probably already on the forty-fourth…or maybe even seventy-fifth reply of the day.
“Why are the birds singing?”
“Why can’t I have ice cream for breakfast?”
“Why is Mickey a mouse?”
As repetitive as some of these questions can feel, looking at them through a different lens helps me understand how each “why” leads my daughter to make sense of her world. Since starting at Celebree School of Stafford, I’ve noticed her questions have become more creative: questions about bugs and how we treat them, small differences between her and her friends, and even about the Wisteria tree I bought for her when she was a baby. Her teachers don’t rush through to answer these questions; instead, they use them as opportunities to encourage curiosity. They teach children that curiosity is just as important as finding the answer.
Sometimes as a parent, we don’t actually have the answer, and that’s perfectly okay. “I’m not sure right now; let’s try to figure it out together?” is a great chance to connect with your child and show them that you’ll still be solving curiosity throughout your entire life. The “why” stage won’t last forever; one day the questions will become fewer as she discovers answers on her own. Until then, I’ve learned to enjoy each “why” interruption as a little reminder of how exciting the world still is through a child’s eyes.
