Because I said so

Never as a child had I heard words that made me more resentful.  "Because I said so!" It rung unfair.  And only worked in the immediate situation.  Without a "real" reason to not to do something I frequently forgot that whatever it was, was in fact something I should not do.

Don't run with scissors!
Why?
If you trip you could cut yourself or someone else!
Oh, ok.


Don't jump on the bed!
Why?
Because I said so!

Two days later I'm back to jumping on the bed. Why? As a seven year old I felt invincible until proven otherwise, at which point I needed a parent to make it better.

Small children generally don't think things through and come up with a clear picture of the worst case scenario.  If any thought goes into a child's actions it's the fantasy or a best case scenario.

What happens if you bounce on the bed? I have fun! No, but what happens if you bounce up but don't land on the bed? What if you fall off?  That would hurt! It would hurt more than rolling out of bed because you would be falling from higher up.  OH! Well I don't want that.  So will you jump on the bed? No.

I know it can be hard to come up with good responses that are helpful to your child's better understand and future safety when put on the spot, or worse, when they play the "Why Game".  But I would say that if you don't feel like you can come up with a good answer on the spot, you could say something along the lines of. "that's a good question, and it deserves a good answer, let me talk with (insert other care giver) and I'll get back to you, but for now it would make me happy if you did what I said".  If you choose this line of ending the discussion, don't forget to follow up with your child in a timely manner.  Keeping your word will go a long way to helping your child feel safe enough to be honest with you.

And as for the inane prattle that is the "Why Game" I give you this:

Why?
Why not?