Now I know one of the cardinal rules of parenting is to teach your children not to lie. However, there are moments where this is just not possible. When you only have one child, it is a little easier. But when one is older, and wiser you have the get their buy in. When your child is spectrum, can I tell how difficult that is?
At Fin’s request, I made popcorn, he loves salty snacks. The girl child, of course, has to have everything he has. With a promise of consuming an apple along with mac & cheese, I made popcorn. I am not a culinary expert, unlike my husband. Who I am not ashamed to say made my lunch today. My last few attempts at making popcorn have failed miserably, don’t ask. With no guarantee from me of perfect popcorn, he ate the apple. Luckily enough, with some gentle coaching from Fin, it was edible.
As tasty as it is, popcorn is not the choice food of 18 month old children who are still missing a considerable number of teeth. CHOCKING HAZARD. But the sucker I am, I would bite off the kernel part, and hand over the fluffy part for the Girl to consume. After every bite,
“MORE”
“MORE popcorn PLEASE”
She was bouncing back and forth between eating the heads off animal crackers and asking, “Where di’ head GO?!?!”, and wanting “MORE” popcorn. I was hoping she would move on, since she tends to have the attention span of a gnat. I of course, resort to lying, rather than contend with a toddler tantrum from the popcorn fountain being shut of.
“All gone, no more popcorn”.
I had promised Fin enough for snack tomorrow in his lunch, so he looked up at me with total grumpiness. I was winking like an anvil was stuck in my eye. With her head turned I held up a handful of popcorn for Fin to see. Still he was going on, and on, how I had PROMISED there would be some for snack. I motion over with my hand, and hold him up to peer into the pot full of fluffy, salty goodness.
He looks at me quizzically,
“Mama, your not telling the truth, there is a LOT of popcorn”.
Well, duh. Subtlety is not his strong suit.
Just for JT, I miss her terribly and she needs to work harder to make time for our talks, and stop working so late.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Jerry Grasso // Jan 11, 2008 at 11:46 am
Well, he was happy when he got the popcorn snack the next day, right?
Mommies have to lie for the greater good. This applies to certain, um, ‘areas’ of our govt. too, me thinks….
2 Sarah Kristiansen // Jan 11, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Oh, the little smarty-pants. This is INDEED a conundrum. I, myself, find that lying to them both works just fine. =)
miss you guys.
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