My 5 year old never stops talking. Ever. She is like the energizer bunny. All day long it is non stop talking and asking questions, I can't even go to the bathroom in peace without her asking me some question of sorts and to be quite honest I find myself getting irritated by it lately. I feel like such an awful parent because I know that she is just trying to learn and she doesn't understand everything yet but I just dread answering questions sometimes! I don't know what I'm looking for right now but I needed to get that out there 
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I knew a mom who answered very honestly. It worked.
Example (she was loaning me a book on women's running).
Kid: What are you doing?
Mom: Loaning her a book.
Kid: Why?
Mom: She is interested in women's running.
Kid: Why?
Mom: Because men and women are different.
Kid: Why?
Mom: Because they have different secondary sex characteristics.
Kid: Oh. -
@jedeve: oh I am always very honest with her, yesterday we had a long conversation about death and childbirth (not super graphic but the basics). I guess I am really tired of having to know everything, she will not take I don't know as an answer.
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I feel your pain! I remember when my BFF had her DS YEARS ago and I thought OMG this kid never shuts up.... and then God gave me a kid just like that! hahaha
My 5 yr old asks a lot of questions too - If I get irritated I usually tell him "Ok, mommy is done answering questions right now lets do xxxx instead".
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@Mamaof2: so glad I'm not the only one, is he typically very persistent also? When I tell her I'm done answering questions she will start crying (even though I'm very nice about it) and it makes me feel even worse
there is no winning with her lol!
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@cyndistar3: can u tell her to go ask daddy? Or ask daddy when he gets home from work ( cuz daddy knows all the answers). Gaga
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@Mamaof2: hahaha that's a really good plan lol!
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Time to introduce the quiet game!
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It's a little different, and it was an older student, but this might work. I had a student who was ALWAYS trying to tattle or vent or something- not for any purpose, but just to get the words out, usually. I gave him a tape recorder, and he would tell the tape recorder. He got to be heard, and I didn't have to listen! Maybe you could tell her that she can listen to her questions later, after she's done recording them.
A 1st grade teacher has a tattle tale ear, too. It is just simply a drawing of an ear. When the kids want to tell her a something, but she can't listen because of whatever reason, they go tell the ear. They love it!
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I am a very quiet person so talking that much (answering all of those questions non stop) literally exhausts me so I get it! Some things that have worked for me is setting a time where she could ask all the questions she wanted, I would pour a cup of tea and for 15 minutes she could just fire them off and I would answer every one of them. We also did a question jar, she could write or draw her questions and she put them in and we would go through them together. And when all else fails offer up an apple device with Siri and teach her to use it
.I don't think it is unreasonable though to explain that while it is great that she is so curious you need some time to think things through in your own mind so quiet is sometimes what you need. Maybe teach her to ask "Is this a good time?" You could then let her know that yes it is a great time or tell her to save that thought and come back when you are done cooking dinner or whatever.
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We play a version of the quiet game because my 5 yr old seriously can't stop talking... When we say "radio off" everyone has to be quiet, and to talk, you have to say "permission to speak!" It sounds mean but she likes to do it since its like a game, and the "permission to speak" phrase comes from a tv show, I have no idea which one.. She picked that up herself, haha.. The game doesn't last for a long time, but it's long enough to give my ears a rest!
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I definitely understand this. I work with kids all day, so I get exhausted answering questions all day, but I just try to put on a happy face and go with it since each kiddo is different.
In your situation I would probably introduce a quite time for an hour or a half an hour a couple times a day!!!
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@beaker: we introduced that game 2 years ago and she still giggles and says "I guess I lost!" And then it's over lol
@meganmp: I really like the ear idea, maybe I should get one and see if she will go with it.
@Cole: I am the same way, I am a quiet laid back person, always have been. Those are some great suggestions since a lot of my problem probably comes from being overwhelmed from not even getting any time to think about the answer before she has already asked the same question 5-10 times.
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I don't have any advice, but you should look for the Louis ck stand up routine about his kid asking questions. It is hilarious.
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@T-Mom: every time we have played the quiet game it resulted in me reminding her every minute that the quiet game means that we are quiet. It makes no sense because she is normally really good at following instructions but whenever it has anything to do with silence its like it is an impossible task.
Most of the time if I ask her to please stop talking for just a minute so that I can think for a bit it results in her squirming in front of me or on the couch holding her hands over her mouth making strange grunting sounds and or mumbling random nonsense... she says it's too hard. -
@cyndistar3: I have siblings 16+ years older, and the way they always played the quiet game was by smacking their hands over their mouths dramatically, lots of over the top facial expressions, etc. Not exactly a break from interacting but by pretending we were shocked to see who would talk first it def lasted longer. There were three of us close in age though, maybe more competition helped.
@Cole: @meganmp: love these ideas!
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Hehe. my mom STILL complains about the fact that I was the same way
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Oh yeah my kid is 6 and never stops talking!
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@beaker: I definitely think it might work better when sister can participate but for now its just her and I playing most of the time so its not as exciting.
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