"Why Mommy?"

Gloria has entered that famous "Why" stage at the moment.

Here is an example of one of today's conversations...

Me: Gloria, I'm going to start filling the bathtub for your bath. Let's get undressed please.
Gloria: Why?
Me: Because we are going to take a bath.
Gloria: Why?
Me: Well honey, we need to clean you up for the day.
Gloria: Why?
Me: Because it has been a few days since your last bath and you need to get clean.
Gloria: Why mommy?
Me: Because after you play, eat and do other fun things, you sometimes get dirty.
Gloria: Why?
Me: I don't know, why do you think you get dirty?
Gloria: I don't know!

Phew! You think that is a lot of "Why's?" That is nothing compared to the many others I had to answer today. :)

I remember working on a story about "Nurturing a Whyer" when I worked for Wondertime Magazine. I still had to look it up to be sure I was approaching this stage in the best way possible. When a toddler starts asking "Why?" they are hitting a pretty big milestone. They are questioning the world and asking us to teach them about it. It is actually very interesting their desire to obtain this information on such a regular basis.

If you want to read a little about the "Why" stage, visit Calora Baby. I found it helpful to understand where Gloria is at in her development and how important it is to be patient and try to fulfill her need to learn. Although, I will definitely have to use some of the "Emergency Stand-by's" when I've reached my limit. :)