Willow has started asking the dreaded "why?".
She has been repeating the question over and over and over again for the past day or two, so I won't write about it just yet. "Why?" you ask. Because I don't think I'm an expert on the topic just yet. "Why?" you ask again. It has been only a day or two. "Why?"
STOP IT!
Anyway, before Willow started asking why, she led up to it by repeating other questions, such as, "Where is my purse?" I don't know. "Where is my purse?" I don't know; we'll look for it. "Where is my purse?" I'm looking for it now; we'll find it. And so on and so forth.
I read someplace a parent's best response to repeated questions is to answer as well as you can for the first two or three questions then state, "I already told you the answer. I'm not answering again." Then you ignore the question if it keeps coming. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it doesn't. But it's the tact I use. And I've forgotten where I read about the strategy, so stop asking.
Recently Cherish and Lily have been battling a nasty stomach virus (just short of the dreadful norovirus, but nasty nonetheless). The bug brought Cherish home from work early on Monday, but she still had to work, locked up in the bedroom (by the bathroom). Willow, of course, wanted to join her. I told her no.
The conversation went something like this:
Willow, heading to the bedroom: "Mommy, read this book to me."
Me: "No, Willow, Mommy is busy working."
Willow: "I want her to read this book to me."
Me: "She's working. We can't bother her. I can read the book to you."
Willow: "No! I want Mommy to read this book to me!"
Me: "I told you, Mommy is working. We can't bother her."
Willow, heading to the bedroom: "I want Mommy to read this book to me!"
Me: "Willow. This is the last time I'm going to say this. Mommy is busy. Mommy is working. We can't bother her."
Willow turns and stomps over to me and gives me a serious look before saying, sternly: "Daddy, this is the last time I'm going to say this. I want Mommy to read this book to me."
You win, daughter. You win.
She has been repeating the question over and over and over again for the past day or two, so I won't write about it just yet. "Why?" you ask. Because I don't think I'm an expert on the topic just yet. "Why?" you ask again. It has been only a day or two. "Why?"
STOP IT!
Anyway, before Willow started asking why, she led up to it by repeating other questions, such as, "Where is my purse?" I don't know. "Where is my purse?" I don't know; we'll look for it. "Where is my purse?" I'm looking for it now; we'll find it. And so on and so forth.
I read someplace a parent's best response to repeated questions is to answer as well as you can for the first two or three questions then state, "I already told you the answer. I'm not answering again." Then you ignore the question if it keeps coming. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it doesn't. But it's the tact I use. And I've forgotten where I read about the strategy, so stop asking.
Recently Cherish and Lily have been battling a nasty stomach virus (just short of the dreadful norovirus, but nasty nonetheless). The bug brought Cherish home from work early on Monday, but she still had to work, locked up in the bedroom (by the bathroom). Willow, of course, wanted to join her. I told her no.
The conversation went something like this:
Willow, heading to the bedroom: "Mommy, read this book to me."
Me: "No, Willow, Mommy is busy working."
Willow: "I want her to read this book to me."
Me: "She's working. We can't bother her. I can read the book to you."
Willow: "No! I want Mommy to read this book to me!"
Me: "I told you, Mommy is working. We can't bother her."
Willow, heading to the bedroom: "I want Mommy to read this book to me!"
Me: "Willow. This is the last time I'm going to say this. Mommy is busy. Mommy is working. We can't bother her."
Willow turns and stomps over to me and gives me a serious look before saying, sternly: "Daddy, this is the last time I'm going to say this. I want Mommy to read this book to me."
You win, daughter. You win.
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