Just for parents?

Question

Just for the parents out there.

Ive been wondering but when did you stop telling your kids "just because", or anything along those lines, to most 'why' questions and actually start giving out 'real' answers?

Dont get me wrong, im quite curious cause im 15 and my parents still do it to me quite a lot.

Answer 1

My son is only 15 months old, so I don't have to worry about that yet with him.  I hope that I never actually give him a horrible 'just because' answer to any questions.  I do my best to not do that with any of my kids.  The goal is to teach them to want to learn and figure things out.  Never giving a real answer kind of defeats that.  I try really hard to ask them another similar question that they know the answer to and try to get them to make the connection between the two.  If that won't work then I'll tell them the answer to something similar and let them figure out the answer to their question. Letting the do some of the thinking helps them remember the answer better.

Answer 2

My kids are still little but I have always believed that if a child has a question, they deserve an age appropriate answer.

Answer 3

I have laways answered questions honestly and have never used the just because brush off.  I think it is disrespectful to the child to give that response.  It's the equivalent of saying 'You aren't worth enough of my time to actually explain it to you.'

Answer 4

It works both ways. A why question can be very disrespectful. "Why can't I pierce my nose,ears, and eyebrows!". You wouldn't want to stand there to hear the whole answer because it would be a long one. Most parents want to give their children the right answer but not when the question has obvious motive. Think about your question.

Answer 5

I never say just because I let them know why I'm saying something. When i was growing up my mother always said those things so I know how frustrating it can be.

Answer 6

My mom did it to me and it was very annoying, and so I promised myself I wouldn't do it to my kids. Like, if my son asked me if he could have a cookie before bed....instead of saying "just because," I would say "because, there is sugar in the cookie, and the sugar will keep you awake during the night. And we want you to go to sleep, now don't we?" haha...I can imagine myself saying that.

Answer 7

i never say just because i tell my daughter the straight truth about things that are age appropriate but when they do come out with things a bit out there u must explain to them the exact truth u should never lie to a child becuase u are uncomfortable with the question ur suppose to feed there interest with knowledge so they can grow and be smart not tell them a bunch of bull ****

Answer 8

My twins are 3 and I have NEVER said those things to them. They deserve a real answer, just like I would expect to get. Because I always take the time to explain things to them and talk to them, when they turned 2 they were already above a 4 year old level for vocabulary. I respect my kids and think they deserve real answers. Not that your parents don't respect you, but maybe you should tell them that you think you deserve the kind of answer that they would want. Tell them that the more they respect you, the more you can respect them. Good luck.

Answer 9

My kids were about 1 and a half!

Answer 10

i still do it -the parent always has the final say.