I: Infinite I-Don't-Know's

Not so long ago, I was the target of endless whys. It didn’t matter what I said or asked my kids, I was immediately bombarded by a zillion whys. In fact, I didn’t even have to say anything at all to get them started. My 5-year-old daughter is still firmly entrenched in why territory. My 7-year-old son, though, is now on his way out and entering the infinite I-don’t-knows. I will ask him a question and he will immediately reply, “I don’t know, Mommy.”

The funniest part of this new transition is that our roles are reversing. He was the one constantly asking why to the point I’d start throwing out exasperated I-don’t-knows. Now, though, I find myself asking him why every time he tells me he doesn’t know. So now our conversations will go something like this:

Me: “What do you want for breakfast?”

Son: “Oh, I don’t know…”

Me: “Um, why don‘t you know?”

Son (shrugging): “I don’t know.”

Me (wanting to pull my hair out): “But how can you not know what you want to eat?”

Son: “Because I don’t know!”

I don’t know if these I-don’t-knows are my past I-don’t-knows coming back to haunt me. Or perhaps it’s just the normal progression of things. Whatever the cause, I’m trying my best to help my little guy become more decisive with his daily decisions. I know he so wants to be independent. However, he isn’t completely capable yet of always weighing his options. Despite my frustration, I try my best to help him see his options and pick the best one for him. And I support him even when the choices that he makes aren’t the greatest. In the end, I want him to grow confident in himself and realize that I have his back to help through the consequences of every single one of his decisions.