Is 4 the new 2?

So tell me - have the Terrible Twos been replaced by the Fearsome Fours?

Stuart seems to have hit a new stage in his mental development - better known as "Ask my parents as many questions as I can in the shortest period of time and see if their heads explode".

Seriously, he can go on for hours. "And what else?" He will say.

And after a few minutes I run out of what else an ant can eat, or what breaks glass or what a bat's teeth are sharper than.

Because you have to be careful what information you divulge. It can be held against you in a court of law - or worse, in the 4 year old tribunal. Contradicting yourself leads to threats of imprisonment for perjury - or a 4 year old's version - MORE QUESTIONS... But Mummy... you SAID... - how on earth can he remember these things when he can't remember to put away a single toy?

We are trying to acknowledge that he is going through some kind of mental growth spurt... really we are. And answers like "Because Daddy is a walking encyclopedia with a Bionic Brain" are meant to challenge him to ask more questions... really. It's not frustration.

And what else?

How big are giants?
How sharp are bat's teeth?
What are testicles (to the babysitter on a city bus this afternoon)
Can you tell me? Why not? How come you don't know? Why? Why? Why?


Why can't I (Because you could hurt yourself). Why? (Why what?) Why could I hurt myself? (Because jumping off the slide from that height could mean that you wouldn't land the right way and would get a boo-boo) But WHY?????

What makes wind?
Why is the rain going up on the windsheield? (phew knew that one!)
Why do you need to pay attention when you drive?

Or tonight's dinner conversation:
Today in school I saw Daddy's plane! (Marc is in Cologne for the night)
Oh sweetie, remember Daddy went in George's car to Cologne?
Why?
Because Cologne isn't very far away, so they could drive.
Why?
Because there aren't any planes to Cologne because it is so close, it's only 200 km away.
Why?
Why what?
Why is Cologne 200 km away?
Well sweetie, that's just where it is - do you want to look at the map to see how far it is?
No, I want to know why it's there...

And so on and so forth...

What's faster than a rocket ship?
I don't know Stu - what do you think?
Maybe the speed of light!!
Yeah, that might be.
Mum, what is the speed of light?

It's good that he is curious... really it is. Why you ask??????