Honest Sam
So we've been working on the difference between kidding and lying with Sam.
For example, she asked us in the car a few weeks ago: "If I say Daddy has pink hair, and he doesn't, that's a lie, right?"
Me: "Well, it depends on who you say it to and why you're saying it. If you say it to me, I know Daddy doesn't have pink hair, so I know you're kidding. But if you go to Aunt Debbie's and tell her and Bethany and Josiah that Daddy has pink hair now and try to make them believe it, then yes, it's a lie."
Sam: "But Daddy's hair's not pink."
Me: "Right. But I already know that, so I'd know you were kidding me."
Sam: "But Daddy's hair's not pink."
I'm sure you're sensing the theme of this conversation, so just imagine it continuing for about 15 more minutes.
This has led me to wonder when she's going to start trying lying to see if she can get away with it. She's got a couple devious tricks right now -- like, for example, if you tell her to stop gnawing on her sleeve, she'll turn her back to you or go into another room to continue making the sleeve as sopping wet as possible -- but I haven't caught her outright lying yet.
And now I think I know why.
Last weekend, we were out shopping for a chair for the nursery. As we drove from store to store, Sam was in the back seat playing with one of those triangle-shaped games where you jump the colored pins over each other and try to have only one left (she pulled it out of a plastic bucket at the dentist's office; it was her reward for not having any cavities). She doesn't comprehend the point to the game, so she just makes the blue and red pins talk to each other.
When we went to go into the first store, Damon said: "No, you can't take the pins along with you. We don't want them to get lost in the store."
Sam pitched a short fit, then huffed for a few minutes, then let it go.
When we got to the second store, Damon went to get her out of her booster seat. As he opened the car door, Sam said, "Daddy, I have something in my pocket that I don't want you to see because I don't want you to tell me I can't take it in the store, all right?"
We cracked up. She's still too honest to hide her attempts at deviousness from us.
I'm hoping this lasts until she's at least 21.
What have your kids tried to hide from you?
D Doll · November 20, 2007 9:56 AM
Okay Amy, it sounds cute & you should really enjoy them when they are young, ** spoiler alert ** Just wait another 12-14 years, and they become MONSTERS. Everything you teach them is thrown out the door when they leave the house & are with their friends. I always taught my son from a young age, "wear seatbelts" was one of my mottos. Imagine how sad I was when he wrecked not 1 but both of our family cars, Broken nose both times. Long story short, he now wears seat belts every time he drives, not from example, but from sheer pain. I could go on and on ** Lesson** Give them all the love you can, because when they are older, everything you taught them goes out the window when they leave the house.
regards DDOLL153
Amy · November 21, 2007 12:38 AM
DDoll,
I've gotta say, I agree with you here. My sister has seven kids, three of whom are over 18 now, and I'm nervous each time one of them hits puberty.
I'm also worried about when Sam becomes a teenager. I was one of those kids who tried very little when I still lived at home. My husband, however, was fond of breaking and ignoring rules and taking lots of chances. I'm really hoping Sam takes after me in this respect.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I'm glad things eventually turned out OK for your son.