To answer your question, "No."

Now I understand why my dad automatically answered a question with "No."

In my house, there is no limit to the number of times one might ask a question. The exact same question. Try and dress it up, change up a few words, rephrase it all you want. It's still the exact same question. My favorites are the hypothetical questions. It goes something like this:

"Can I have dessert."

"Not tonight, I didn't make dessert."

"Can I have Ice Cream."

"No, we don't have any."

"If we did have ice cream, would you let me have it."

"But we don't have any."

"But, if we did, could I have some."

"I don't know, maybe."

Thus it goes. And in about 5 minutes, we're going to have the exact same conversation all over again. And when she tires of it, there's another one that will come along and fill her place.

So, I'm seriously considering adopting my father's approach to questions until the one asking the question genuinely wants to engage me in an exchange of dialogue where:

1. They ask a question.
2. I answer the question.
3. They HEAR the answer and stop asking the question.

End of conversation.