The Truth

I was a liar as a kid.  I lied a lot.  And as an adult, as a parent and teacher, I HATE lying.  I can handle a lot of different things.  I hate lying.

So this morning I discovered that the... for lack of a better word... overflow hole in the boys' bathroom sink was stopped up with a big wad of bright blue toothpaste.  J was with me, so I asked if he did it.  "Nooooo.  G did it!  Not me!"  Now, J is going through a lying stage.  When asked, with three carrots still sitting on his plate, if he has any carrots left, he will smile angelically and say no.  So when J accuses his brother, I take it with a grain of salt.

G hasn't lied to me yet.  He makes a lot of bad and impulsive choices, but he owns them.  When called in, G admitted that he put the toothpaste there.  Last night.  When asked if he put in a little or a lot, he replied that he put in a medium amount.  I was pretty livid.  I wanted to yell and stomp.  Instead, I quietly sent him to his room to sit on his bed.  A few minutes later, he came to help me clean it up.  We talked about why that hole needs to stay clear.  We talked about not wasting toothpaste.

Then I pulled him into my room and hugged him.  I told him that if he'd put the toothpaste there and lied about it, he'd get into double trouble.  I pointed out that there would be a consequence for the bad choice, but it would only be half as bad as if he'd lied too.  He looked disappointed and then proud.

So I hope that I can keep him telling the truth and owning his mistakes.  I love that about him now, and I really hope that J comes on board quickly.