The little white lie.
We've all told them...heck I tell them daily to my own kids.
Devin: "Mommy, can I have some cookies?"
Mommy: "Nope, they are all gone..." ( as I am secretly stuffing one into my mouth from behind the pantry door)
Sienna: "Mommy, I want to bring Baby Ella in the car..."
Mommy: "Oh Sienna, Baby Ella has to stay home and keep your bed safe."
Sienna: "Baby Ella go bye bye! NOW!"
Mommy: "Sienna, Baby Ella is not feeling good, let's leave her home so she can get better...we don't want her to get an owie shot..."
Devin: "I want to go to the park today, can we go to the park?"
Sienna: "Yah...PARK PARK PARRRRRRRRRK!!!"
*note, it is late in the day and the park is no where near being in our plans
Mommy: "No, we cannot go to the park today, it is time to go home and make dinner."
Devin: (whining now) "But I want to go to the park, I want to slide...you NEVER let me do anything!!!"
Sienna: "PARK PARK PARK PARK PAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKK!!!"
Mommy: "Oh my goodness...did you know the park was closed today? Well I guess we will have to go tomorrow..."
Yes, you see...little white lies come in handy now and then. I know it sounds terrible and I am cringing as I type this. I happen to be a HUGE advocate of teaching kids how to handle "upset" but darn it...sometimes it just doesn't work and a little fib here and there can usually smooth things over quite nicely.
That is, until the little fib comes out of the mouth of your child.
Enter a conversation I had with my children earlier this summer about a "present" we found outside in the back yard. Mind you this present wasn't one that we were pleased to find. It smelled horrible and belonged in a toilet. I'm sure you can get my drift.
Mommy: "Whoa...what the heck is this? Did Kula go in the yard? Devin, did you see Kula go to the bathroom in the yard?" (Mind you, our dog Kula has NEVER pooped in our yard...he has no problem going in everyone else's yard but finds it unpleasant to go in his own yard...go figure)
Devin: (oozing with innocence) "Oh yes Mommy...he did. I saw him. BAD KUWA! KUWA needs to go in time out because he is not awowed to go poop in the yard."
Mommy: "UGGG...okay let me clean it up..."
*note--this is the where I get an up close view of the offending mess (yuck) and realize that there is corn in it. Okay, so I know for a fact that Kula has not had any corn in his recent diet. Ironically enough, WE had corn last night for dinner...things instantly click into place.
Mommy: "Ummm, Devin...are you sure you saw Kula go to the bathroom in the yard? It's okay to tell me if you didn't...Mommy won't be mad."
Devin: (again said with nothing but innocence) "Yes Mommy, I saw him. I watched him do it. Kula did it. Right Sienna?"
Sienna: "Kula poops in the yard. NO POOPS IN THE YARD!"
Mommy: "Devin, I know Kula didn't do this. Did you go to the bathroom in the yard? Tell Mommy the truth, I won't be mad...I PROMISE..." (said with a bit of annoyance and completely laced with little white lies...)
This conversation went a little further before finally I got the confession I had been waiting for. Apparently Devin had been playing outside and figured well heck...he can pee outside so why couldn't he do the other as well? We had a VERY important talk about WHY this was not acceptable and also why it was so important to ALWAYS tell the truth. Especially to your mother.
Yes, I know...irony at its best.
You see...I got schooled that day...I had karma come back and toss my stuff right back at me and for good reason. Does this mean I won't ever tell another white lie to my kids?
Not exactly.
But it does mean that I will try my best to explain the real reason behind things rather than taking the "easy" way out with a fib.
No you can't have a cookie cause Mommy was a cookie monster and chose to eat the last of them all by herself.
No Baby Ella can't come with us because toys stay at home in order to keep them safe.
And no we can't go to the park because mommy is a grouch and doesn't feel like it right now.
So today I am thankful for the opportunity to try again and do better next time.
Still doesn't mean I plan on sharing the cookies.
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