Parent: Did your kids ask you, “why”, “why”, “why” all the time?
Dr. B: Sure.
Parent: Didn’t you get tired of it?
Dr. B: Sounds like you are.
Parent: Well, yeah. No matter what I say, they just ask another “why” question.
Dr. B: That’s great.
Parent: Huh?
Dr. B: Would you prefer your kids to not be curious?
Parent: Well no. But it gets a little old.
Dr. B: What do you mean by old?
Parent: It’s like they are never satisfied. Any answer I give just leads to another “why” question.
Dr. B: Why are all the “why” questions such a burden?
Parent: Seriously?
Dr. B: Yes, seriously. Why do they bother you?
Parent: It’s like I’m wracking my brain to answer all the questions and all they are doing is just saying, “why”.
Dr. B: Ha. So you reach your limit in answers and patience.
Parent: Yeah.
Dr. B: Well, we don’t want to stifle curiosity. That’s where the passion for learning comes from.
Parent: Yeah. Well, I’m the one who is digging for all the answers to the “why” questions.
Dr. B: You don’t have to just give them answers. Turn their curiosity into motivation to find answers for themselves.
Parent: What do you mean?
Dr. B: Well, when they ask “why”, you can say something like
“Let’s figure out how to find that answer.”
“How would you go about getting that answer?”
“That’s a great idea. How would you make that … ?”
Parent: I get it. Keep the curiosity in the kid, just like the conflict.
Dr. B: Now, you’re getting it.
