MyThreeDaughters

I used to work at The Sentence Factory with a reporter who claimed you could conduct an entire interview using one phrase:
“Why is that?”
No matter what the subject said, the reporter could get a more detailed answer by just responding, “Why is that?”
Further answering…
And again, “Why is that?”
I found myself on the wrong side of this circular illogic the other morning. It seems at some point every kid goes through the phase in which you say something, and she just responds, “Why?”
It started like this: Rosebud, sit down and I’ll get you some breakfast.
“Why?”
Because, I need you to sit down, so you don’t fall off of that chair and get hurt.
“Why?”
Because you insist on standing on the chair for every meal and you’ve fallen off about fifty times and ended up crying like a wounded animal.
“Why?”
I guess because you’ve seen how your sisters react when something bad happens, so you think the proper way to respond to an accident is to scream as loudly as you can and disturb as many people as possible.
“Why?”
I don’t know, it just started with Fontaine and she had colic and screamed at us for four months and then she got rid of colic and continued to yell and then we had Elizabeth and we told Fontaine that if she didn’t tone it down, Elizabeth would get loud, but she didn’t and then you came along and picked it up from the two of them and now the house frequently sounds like I imagine the crowd would at a pro wrestling event.
“Why?”
Because, that’s why. Just because.
Now sit down.
Please.
I’ll give you a cereal bar.
“Why?”
Because you like them.