the era of why

We thought it had passed. We thought we got through it relatively unflustered. Instead, the Era of Why seems to still be here. What is the Era of Why? Examples will help to illustrate.

• Eden, please don't do that ... Why?
• Eden, don't touch your eyes ... Why?
• Mama has to go to work ... Why?
• Can I have a hug ... Why?
• It's time to take a bath ... Why?

It seems like "Why" is the ready made answer for most questions and the ready made response to most requests. We know that she is exploring her world, testing boundaries, and generally being a curious 2.5 year old, so for the most part it is fun to answer her.