My 4 years showed me how to solve or get to the root of any problem on the planet

I am a certified PMP project manager. Projectmanagement.com defines 5-why’s as “5 Whys is an iterative elicitation method used to explore cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. The primary goal of the technique is to determine the root cause of a defect or problem by repeating the question “Why?”. Each answer forms the basis of the next question.”

I thought I knew how to use it until my son was born. The little fella thought me the real meaning of 5-why. For everything I ask him to do, he will say WHY. I tell him to take bath, he will say Why, I ask him to pray he will say Why. Sometimes there were more than 10–15 why’s. Trust me I got annoyed many times.

However, when I became a parent, I did decide that I will try to answer all the questions/doubts my child would have. So instead of forcing my belief system on him, I decided to answer his Why. Example -

Me: Brust your teeth

Son: Why

Me: It is good for you to brush your teeth every day, so your teeth’s are healthy

Son: Why

Me: Just like we take bath and use soap to clean ourselves, we brush to clean our teeth, and so on. Sometimes he doesn’t give up; sometimes, I have given up. Most of the time I felt that enough reasoning is provided and sometimes even I do not have all the answers.

Using 5-why’s or more could help you to get to the root of the probem. So next time as WHY — WHY — WHY — WHY — WHY

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