"Can I have snack? What time is Dad getting home? Can we go get ice cream? When can we go to the movies? What time is it?"

Some kids ask a lot of questions. We have heard parents say things such as, "We call her Question Girl because she asks so many questions."

Asking questions is welcome and important when a child really needs answers, but some kids will ask rapid-fire questions of others and seem to revel in the joy of asking rather than really requiring an answer. This type of questioning can grow tiresome quickly. Adults tend to have more patience with a child's questions than his or her peers. The brutal honesty that most kids use may gain a child a less-than-polite response to the constant interrogation.

When a child starts to pester other children or adults by following them around and asking repeated questions, it can feel a bit like a "verbal mosquito." The constant questions can eventually sound like a buzzing in the ears of his or her family and friends.

Kids who have this questioning tendency are going to have trouble socially. Coaching should always be kind and come from a point of understanding and redirection. We suggest:

"Wow, you sound super curious today! That was a lot of questions. My ears are starting to feel a little tired, so it is time to hold on to any more questions for now."

If the questioning is taking on an angry tone and the inquisition is getting heated, we suggest saying, "This question is not an emergency.  It is time to wait patiently for an answer."

If the questioning is repeating in a loop, we suggest saying "I'm hearing some of the same questions that I already answered.  Let's take a minute to try to remember my answer."

Kids who tend engage in verbal mosquito-ism are usually driven by anxiety. When the anxiety is addressed in a productive way by changing the conversation topic and adults being caring and kind, the questioning should stop. Kids may also need guidance in terms of which questions to ask out loud versus which one they can wonder about quietly without asking, versus which ones they can answer for themselves using their observation skills.