Why is a letter and you should know better

Eleanor has started asking ‘Why?’ It took me a while to register that she was doing so and seemingly actually asking ‘Why?’ rather than just repeating a word she’s heard Rosemary use.

‘We need to hurry up and get dressed.’
‘Why?’
‘Because we need to go and meet Granny.’
‘Why?’
‘So you can go to Painswick and see Tulo*’.
‘Oh. All right.’

The thing that fascinates me is that, unlike my (probably inaccurate) memory of Rosemary’s first Why phase, she does stop asking when she gets an answer she’s satisfied with. I’m sure Rosemary just kept asking until she got fed up, as did I at some point, which led my dad to retort with his mum’s stock phrase (must be said in a Welsh accent):

‘Why is a letter and you should know better.’

A phrase I have been known to use myself, but so far not on Eleanor. Perhaps that phase is yet to come.

Rosemary,  is asking ‘Why?’ more too (so, yes, Eleanor’s probably been influenced by her) and actually listening to fuller answers. Previously, she’d listen to the first few words and then drift off to some imaginary land. Now, she’s asking follow-up questions and listening to the answers to those, too.

This great for Chris, who has a scarily wide knowledge of just about everything. For me, whose most common response seems to be ‘Oh, gosh. I don’t actually know. We’ll have to look that up when we get home. Or ask Daddy. He probably knows,’ it’s a little worrying. I may need to read an encyclopaedia.

*AKA Edward, AKA Mr Tibbles (my sister’s or mum’s cat, depending on who you ask!)

Do your children ask ‘Why?’ Do you enjoy it? Or find it difficult because you don’t know all the answers? Any tips on websites that will give you quick answers to questions your unsure of?