Mental Cobwebs

"What said hee-haw?"

"Huh? Donkeys say that. Where'd you hear a donkey?"

"On the TV. Why do they say hee-haw?"

"Just because that's the noise they make."

"Whyyyyyyy?"

"That's just the noise that they make. Like pigs say oink oink."

"Why?"

"They just do."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Whyyyyy?"

You know, sometimes those jokes you hear all the time are completely true. My daughter has definitely reached the "Why? Phase", and it's driving me crazy. This is the battle line. The choices I make now will help decide whether or not I was a good parent. Will I try my best to give accurate answers, or just tell her to stop talking and turn the volume up on the TV?

Actually, it's kind of somewhere in the middle. Look, I'm not a genius. I have my limits, and she really likes to test them. Sometimes I find myself trying to explain things that I'm really not sure I entirely understand myself. One of my favorite podcasts, Stop Podcasting Yourself, has an overheard segment where people call in with whatever ridiculous/hilarious/stupefying things they've heard. I'm reminded of one that went something like this:

"Dad, how do fireworks work?"

"Well, son. They take a lot of.... I don't know, son."

My approach is along those lines. I explain what I can until I reach the limits of my knowledge, and when the next "Why?" comes I tell her I just explained that to her. Usually this is met with another "Why?", at which point I distract.

"Hey, you wanna watch Thomas?"

At least I tried my best, right? I just hope she doesn't figure out that if she asks "Why?" enough she's going to get a cookie or be able to watch a show.