Mommy, I have a question

I love seeing my three-year-old daughter’s little wheels turn as she tries to figure out the world around her. Much of that churning comes in the form of a barrage of questions, aimed at me, over the course of the day. At home, in the car, wherever we are–I am peppered with questions asked by a curious girl with the sweetest little raspy voice.

Just to mark this moment in time, I wrote down a portion of the questions I had to answer yesterday. Between our house and Target.

• Can cats swim?
• Can dogs swim?
• When can we get a cat?
• Why can’t we have a cat?
• Does everyone in our neighborhood like rainbows?
• Can I have six brothers and six sisters?
• Can I watch something before my nap?
• Was I born in a stable?
• Who is my fairy godmother?
• Can I have a snack?
• So what do you think daddy is doing right now?  How about right now?
• What do seals eat?
• Who eats penguins?
• You don’t know much about polar bears, do you mom?
• What is heaven like?
• Do I have to take a bath today? And tomorrow?
• Where is Cinderella’s real mommy?
• What happened to Anna and Elsa’s mommy?
• Today would be a perfect day for a picnic at the beach, right mommy?
• Should we use some tape to make Hallie’s socks stay on her feet?
• What are birds afraid of?
• Does Jesus live in Winnie the Pooh’s heart?
• Why did you honk?
• Where is that car going?
• Well do you have a guess?
• Why are we going this way?
• The Big Bad Wolf wont be able to blow down that brick house, will he mom?
• Macaroni is healthy for you, right mommy?
• What are we going to do after my nap?
• Is tomorrow the weekend?
• So what’s our plan?
• When will I be 4?
• Mommy, am I pretty special? (yes. definitely yes)

Know that this is just a tiny fraction of the questions I am asked daily. Sprinkle in a few dozen “what does that sign say,” “how do you spells,” “where is my,” why can’t I”…as well as some clearly erroneous statements followed by “right mommy?” and you get a more accurate picture of the sheer quantity.

…And if I answer, “I don’t know”  she ALWAYS follows up with, “Well, do you have a guess?”

Having little babies is obviously physically exhausting. The wrangling, carrying, dressing, schlepping and cajoling to get little ones from point A to point B is quite draining. But by three, the physical demands on the mother have been replaced with verbal demands. By the end of the day I am verbally exhausted–though completely and thoroughly and utterly entertained.