She’s no George Washington

One day last week I was upstairs taking a shower and Julianna was quietly playing in her room. She almost always watches a video while I'm in the shower so right before I got in I turned one on for her just in case she came in my room while I was still in the shower.

Well, halfway through my shower she comes up to the shower door hysterical. As it turns out, she was having a fit because she didn't want me to turn the video on. She wanted to just lay in her room. Obviously, I wasn't going to stop my shower to go turn a movie off when she could go to her room and not be bothered by it at all. I told her I would turn it off as soon as I was done. She stopped crying and left the bathroom and I thought that was the end of it.

Apparently, I was wrong. Shortly thereafter I heard her storming down the steps. When Igot dried off and dressed I went downstairs to find her sitting calmly on the couch watching TV and blatantly ignoring me. I noticed immediately that my computer was shut which is off limits to Jules unless I am helping her with it. She knows those rules.

I gently asked her, "Jules, who closed my computer?"

She replied, "Pilot Paula."

(Pilot Paula is one of her favorite <a href="http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=littlepeople">Little People</a>.)

I asked again, "Julianna, who closed my computer?"

"Pilot Paula."

More firmly now I asked, "Julianna, Pilot Paula can't close Mommy's computer. Who closed it?"

"Pilot Paula closed your 'puter!"

So we had our first lesson in telling stories. After I explained to her that when little girls don't tell the truth they have to go sit in time, out she finally did own up to closing the computer herself. We talked about how she had been angry at me for not turning off the video, but that she knew the rules and she shouldn't have touched my computer without asking me. Unfortunately, I think since it was still kind of funny to her she did tell me all about it again about 30 minutes later. She said, "Pilot Paula closed your 'puter, Mama" and then laughed.

I realize that "truth" and "lying" are huge concepts for little kids. I know that this is only the beginning of dealing with this kind of situation and while it was kind of amusing the first time it happened, I know I will get sick of it very soon. I just can't believe that she managed to come up with something like that at such a young age! I was truly shocked! Little kids are doggone creative!

Do you remember telling your first lie? Or better yet, do you remember getting caught in your first lie? How about when your kids told their first lies? Were they 2 1/2?