Why? Why? Why?

"Tell me why the stars do shine

Tell me why the ivy twines

Tell me why the sky is blue

And I'll tell you just why I love you."

"Why?" has become the word used most often by Kirstin as of late.  And to tell the truth; she's driving me insane. "Why do we have hands and arms?"

"Why do we have stairs?"

"Why do we need electricity?"

"Why?"  

"Why?"

"Why?"

It's enough to drive anyone crazy!  And the general answers aren't enough for her either.  

"Why do we have hands and arms?"

"Because God made us that way honey."
"But WHY?"

"Because that's what he wanted to do."

"WHY?" This said with a little more insistence. She gets a look from me as I'm trying to finish changing a diaper, get supper started, or just take a breather.

"Go ask your father."

Yes, sometimes I pass it off onto other people.  Sometimes she's just too smart for some of the answers I give.  

"Why do we have stairs?"
"How else would we get upstairs?"

A roll of the eyes, a hand on the hip as she sticks it out and a very sarcastic response: "Well, there ARE elevators, you know."  

Silly me, I didn't think of that. Other times I just give her something to really think about when she asks "why" too many times. 

"Why do we need electricity?" asked as we were in the car on the way to Alexandria.  We passed some wind turbines. She knows that they give us electricity and that electricity runs pretty much everything in our house.  This is a question I've answered many times before.  Hence my long winded reply.

"Well, Kirstin, it's called the progress of man.  Man is always looking for new and/or safer ways of doing work.  Before man harnessed electricity and made it do the work for us, everything was much more difficult and took much more time for us to accomplish our tasks.  Electricity helps with many of the tasks we do in our daily lives."

"Oh."

Meanwhile, Matt is driving and snickering at my response.  I gave him a look, and asked the reason for his laughter.  His response: "You just answered in a way that I would have answered."

See, the difference is that he isn't home with her 24/7 and I am.  I take the brunt of the questions.  After a while I have to insert a snarky long winded reply just so I don't have to constantly hear Kirstin's voice during the day.  

There are times when I think I just can't take all the questions anymore.  Every time I even take two second to run to the bathroom, I get asked, "Why do you have to go to the bathroom, mom?" And to think I have another child that will go through all this in a few years.  Yikes!  I guess I can just take it day to day and try not to get too frustrated at having my every move analyzed by a three year old asking "Why?" 

And tomorrow I'm sure I will have to answer many new questions beginning with "why."