Why?

First of all, an important, earth-shattering announcement.  This may actually have the ability to change the course of human history, so pay attention: I have decided to dispense with the generic numbered titles, which seemed like a good idea when I began, but now just annoy me.  I generally cringe when I have to read/listen to/look at anything I have created, and having to cringe at the same thing over and over again has become more than I can bear.  So there you have it.  I apologize if this makes you go about your day fearing my feeble attempts at creating witty titles for my already mind-numbing posts, but such is life.

Today's post is about a single word that evokes dread in the hearts and minds of parents of preschoolers everywhere: "why."  Jakub has been going through the "why" phase for the past couple of months, though it has felt like an eternity.  Fortunately it has begun to taper off, but there were days when everything I said to him prompted the question "Why?" 

Me: "OK, it's time for bed."
Jakub: "Why?"
Me: "Because it's getting dark."
Jakub: "Why?"
Me: "Because the sun is going down."
Jakub: "Why?
Me: Because the Earth is turning."
Jakub: "Why?"
Me (unable to remember what forces revolve the Earth): "Because."
Jakub: "Why because?"
Me: "Because that's what the Earth does."
Jakub: "Why?"
Me: "I don't know, honey."
[Silence for a few blissful moments]
Jakub: "Why?"

Or:

Me: "Jakub, let's put on your jacket."
Jakub: "Why?"
Me: "Because it's cold outside."
Jakub: "Why?"
Me: "Because it's winter."
This is where things get dicey, because in Czech, "cold" and "winter" are the same word, "zima," so even though I was prepared to explain how the orientation of the earth to the sun changes from summer to winter, we got stuck on what, to Jakub, sounded like "It's cold because it's cold."

I have tried various ways to curtail the endless questioning, especially when I'm too tired to think straight, but have had only limited success.  On a few occasions, when Jakub wanted to know, for example, why a particular car was red, I said we'd have to ask the driver, which of course elicited the response: "Mommy, stop the car!!  Let's ask the man!!"  The latest attempt involved trying to turn the tables, which has been the most successful strategy thus far, but certainly not foolproof:

During a discussion about volcanoes:
Jakub: "Why does the air make the hot lava cool?"
Me: "Why do you think it makes it cool?"
Jakub: "No, mommy, I'M asking YOU."