Curious George...er, I mean, Jax

Reading aloud from a Curious George book, usually starts off like this: "This is ________. He was a good little ________, and always very ________. "

Jaxon supplies the words, "George," "monkey," and "curious" in the correct spots. Can you tell it's a favorite set of stories for him?

I think Jax really connects with George. I mean, look at all the similarities:

• They're about the same height. 
• They both have a great sense of humor.
• They both make monkey sounds.
• They both love bananas.

It's definitely easy to confuse the two. Luckily for me, I have a Jaxon Jedi and not a Curious George. I think if Jax got into nearly all the trouble George gets into, we'd have some temper tantrums...by me.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad thing to be curious. Curiosity has lead to so many great advances throughout history--remember the lightbulb? Sliced bread? The wheel? Yeah...those were good inventions. 

Questioning our lives, our purpose, our solutions...it's important to our future to keep questioning and learn to really THINK.

 

But lately, Jaxon has begun asking the "Dreaded Why?" questions. I knew it was coming eventually but I don't think I was prepared for it at all. And when it's a constant barrage of "why?" it no longer seems so important and groundbreaking. It seems more....exasperating.

But it all started out so simply...

• (pointing): "Dat?" (translation: "What's that?")
• (pointing): "Whassis?" (translation: "What's this?")
•  (pointing): "Whasinere?" (translation: "What's in there?")

Those were cute ways for Jax to find out more about the world around him. I liked this phase of Jaxon-ness. It was super cute to hear him asking questions because I knew the reason was to learn. And what parent (especially a teacher, at that!) doesn't want her child to be excited about learning and seeking out new knowledge? Then, slowly the cute little mispronunciation became, more clearly, the correct pronunciation. He started asking more and more questions about various things around him and Jaxon's knowledge attainment soared.

But then--then came "WHY?".  

I was ok with "why?" at first because it was followed by other words to make a complete question. For instance: "Mommy, why that go there?" To which I would smile and respond appropriately, satisfied that my child's curiosity had been satiated for that specific instant. His mind, expanded. His vocabulary, improved. His mommy, happy. And life was good.

But "why?" has suddenly (and I mean literally, overnight) morphed into an incessant stream of "why?" that ends in a response akin to the commonly known phrase, "Because I said so." 

It goes a little something like this:

Jax: Mommy, why it have rain on ground?

Me: Because it rained today.
Jax: Why?

Me: Because the clouds had water in them.

Jax: Why?

Me: Ummm, because that's what clouds do.

Jax: Oh...why?

Me: Because that's the way the world works.

Great. It's true. It's finally happened. I have officially turned into my parents. It's true I didn't say, "Because I said so." But I thought it. And I said something else that basically means the same thing. Is there no going back? Is there no hope for me? Can I make it through the next who-knows-how-many-years-of-"why" without losing my mind and saying it?

I don't know.

Why?

I just don't know.

Why?

(sigh)

Because I said so.