Your Six-Year-Old Asking Why

Ben Williams summed it up: 'Day-to-day, good PMs will be asking why as much as my six-year-old son does, which is a lot.'

There's something beautiful buried in here. We spend years mildly irritated by the relentless questioning - why is the sky blue, why do I have to, why can't I, why why why - and then discover this is exactly the trait that makes adults successful.

Curiosity isn't annoying. It's a superpower. The kid who asks 'but WHY do we brush teeth before bed?' is practicing the same skill as the PM who asks 'but WHY are we building this feature?'

So next time your kid hits you with the fifteenth 'why' in a row, try reframing. They're not being difficult. They're practicing something that will serve them their whole life.

And maybe - just maybe - answer a few more before you snap 'BECAUSE I SAID SO.'

(We all snap eventually. There's no judgment here.)