Why—I Don’t Know

When a child asks why
we try to give them an answer
they can understand.
Sometime this leads to a string of whys—
why,
why,
why,
why.
We keep answering until
our knowledge or our patience
runs out,
until our frustration leaves us with,
“Because I said so, that's why.”
We know that's not the best answer,
but it's the best we have in that moment.

There comes a time when
our children rarely ask us why anymore.
They are grown 
and seek their own answers.
Then suddenly,
the world pulls the rug out from under them,
and they are little children again,
needing reassurance.
There must be a reason why—
so they fall back to the beginning,
when you knew all the answers.

But you have no reasonable answers to give,
certainly not “because I told you so,”
and saying, “I don't know,”
might be the truth, 
but it doesn't ease their pain.
All that's left 
is another leftover from childhood;
we hold them close
and let the tears 
wash away their pain,
hoping that all we can do
will be enough.

~Elise Skidmore ©2025