Why? Why? Why?

We have entered that phase of child development in which Tino feels the need to ask "Why?" about nearly everything I say.  Or anyone says, for that matter.  I used to find this stage quite annoying when dealing with *other people's children* and was certainly not looking forward to hearing that question incessantly in my own home.  But I read some words of wisdom in one of my toddler books.  Yes, I read a lot of parenting books.  I find them fascinating.  Anyway, this book advised a couple of things:

1.  Have conversations with your toddler.  It stimulates their verbal development.  Asking "why" is their way of trying to converse with you.  And because they still do have limited vocabulary, it's one of only a few ways they know how to respond to something you've said.

2.  Resist the temptation to ignore the steady stream of "whys."  This stifles their natural curiosity and desire to learn.  I'd never thought of it in this way.

So, armed with these two (fairly sound, in my opinion) pieces of advice, I'm actually finding it quite easy to get through the why stage.  Understanding the needs behind the question helps me to have patience with hearing it over and over.  I make a little game of it, trying to come up with ways to answer his questions that will make sense to a three year old.  Sometimes it's not hard, as in "Why I wear my jacket?" and other times, it can be quite challenging, such as "Why you have to go to work, Mommy?"

Why, indeed?