Thursday, November 6, 2008

The Why Dialog

Well I realized today that we have reached Why stage of development for Cameron... Mind you every time he says it Sadie repeats it so it's like a double dose.

Do you ever start comprehending what you are saying like 5 words to late???

Here's how the Why dialog went... Clearly was not thinking when I started speaking.

Setting the stage: Sadie is infront of the love seat lying on the hard wood floor having her diaper changed. Cameron is jumping all over the love seat.

Me: Cameron don't jump on or off the Love seat cause you could jump on Sadie

Cam: Why?

Me: Cause you could hurt her.

Cam: Why?

Me: Cause if you jumped on her she would get a boo boo from you and the hard floor.

Cam: Why??

And this is where it happens I start teasing/speaking and then comprehend a little late what I really am saying...

Me with a smile : I know why don't you lay on the floor and I'll jump off and we'll see if it hurts you??

Cam: Na.. I don't want to do that??

Me just like Cam: Why??

Cam (Laughing): Cause I don't want to

Me: Why???

Cam (Still laughing): Cause I don't want to....

Me: Why??

I still can't believe what I said... I from now on promise to handle the why questions better... Answer once and then ignore!!

What kind of mother am I???

3 comments:

Kerry Skehan said...

That's pretty funny. I can't wait till you get to the stage where your saying "because I said so"

Megan Johnston said...

I think this could be it!!! I might have to resort to that statement during this why phase!!!

Jeff and Joy Scott Family said...

Megan,

Yes, any parent has dealt with, or IS dealing with the "Why dialogue." I'm so beyond explaining "why" to Josh and have my feet strongly placed in the "Just because," or "because I'm the Dad and I say so" line of reasoning. Pardon me for getting philosophical/theological, but it's just what I do.

I think our tendency as parents to move quickly into the "Just because" phase is simply because we can't really explain "why" to someone who thinks like a child. So, "just because" works! But eventually, as the child grows older into adolescence, they begin to really want better answers to "why" than "just because." Sometimes we will be able to explain it to them since they will have more experience in life. (If Cameron jumped landed on Sadie and gave her a bloody nose, he'd understand why pretty quickly.)

In my life, I look at sin this way too. I think this is partly what Paul was getting at in 1 Corinthians 13:11 when he said, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. At least it resonates with me in this way. I now have a better appreciation for why some things are sins. It's not just because God said so. God said something was a sin for a reason. While God's "just because" used to be enough explanation for me, now I am beginning to understand the "why" behind the just because.

Thank you for giving me something else to over-analyze! I apologize for hijacking your blog!

Miss seeing you guys on a regular basis.

Jeff