Legit question - is this normal? Like genuinely asking for advice here. It's not even curiosity at this point, it's like he's testing me. "Can we go to the park?" "Why?" "Well because there's a playground there." "Why?" "Because... that's what playgrounds are for." "Why?" I love the kid but I'm running out of patience by 10am lol
This is 100% normal for that age but also yeah he's def testing you/your patience. The why-chain questions are a combo of actual curiosity + seeing if you'll get frustrated. Just answer matter-of-factly. Eventually he gets bored if you don't make it into a thing.
My 5yo does this and what actually works is sometimes I just turn it around: 'why do YOU think we go to the park?' Makes him think instead of just asking, and honestly half the time he figures it out himself and moves on.
It IS normal developmental stuff but 47 times a day sounds like you might need to set some boundaries. Like "you get 3 whys per topic and then we're moving on." Makes it a game almost and gives him structure instead of just constant interrogation.
My therapist said the why phase is actually him working through cause and effect and building logic. Doesn't make it less annoying but helped me not take it personally. Still limits it though because yeah, he's testing you too.
Super normal but also can indicate he's testing boundaries or needs more engagement. Not saying you're neglecting him, just that sometimes the 'why' loop means they want MORE conversation, not less. Try asking HIM questions instead - breaks the pattern.
I used to get so annoyed at this until my wife pointed out that he actually WAS curious, he just had the attention span of a 5yo so he'd ask why to like 15 different things in a row. It helped to not take it personally. Now I just answer and move on without frustration showing.
lol my 5yo does the exact same thing. I think it's the age where they discover that 'why' gets reactions from adults. I sometimes just say 'because that's how it is' and he moves on. Doesn't need an elaborate answer every time.
lol the "Can we go to the park?" "Why?" thing got me. Mine does this and I've started just saying "because I said so" sometimes and not feeling bad about it. You don't need a reason for every single decision you make as the parent.
100% normal but yeah it's also definitely a control thing. My 4yo does this exact thing - "why" to literally everything including answers to his own "why" questions. I started asking HIM "why do you think?" and it actually reduced the frequency by like half because he had to engage his brain instead of just testing my patience.
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Honestly this phase lasts forever and it's exhausting. What helped us was having actual conversations about stuff instead of just answering. Like if he asked why about the park, I'd ask him what he wanted to do there, what was his favorite thing, etc. Turns it into dialogue instead of endless questioning.