Forever Young: They Learn Young

I should know by now that children pick up on things at a very early age. Too often, I believe we expect too little of our kids, thinking they don't understand what we are asking of them or that they aren't capable of doing it until they're older.

Last night, Coralyn reminded me just how young children start mimicking their adult counterparts. Unfortunately, though, this was not a "pleasant surprise," as Coralyn flat out lied to us.

I was with Coralyn in her room, getting ready for bath time. Toys were all the floor, so before I could do anything else, I simply had to pick at least a few items up and put they away where they belong. Once everything was neat and clean, I would be able to focus and help Coralyn take her bath. I wanted Coralyn to help me, seeing as how she was the one who had dumped the entire basket of trucks all over the floor. I asked her to pick them up, and while she ran to grab a dumptruck from the living room, I went to put a basket of books back on the shelf. Well, the shelf had fallen and was lying, slanted -- half on the bookshelf and half on the floor. "When, and HOW, did this happen?" I asked myself, wondering why I hadn't noticed it earlier in the day.

When Coralyn returned with her truck, I questioned, "How did the shelf break?" Without batting an eye or pausing to think for even a millisecond, she answered, "Lily did it."

While that is totally possible, I knew for sure I would have realized that the shelf had fallen when the daycare kiddos were here. I am constantly picking up toys throughout the day, and when they left, everything in Coralyn's room was neatly put away, ready for them to come and "destroy" her room yet again the next day. I tried going back through the day to make sure I hadn't overlooked something, but nope, I was confident that Lily was not the guilty one in this case. My precious little girl was the culprit here, and I know she didn't have a partner in crime.

Pausing to think for a few more seconds, I remembered that Coralyn had run inside earlier to get some of her trucks. We were playing out in the front yard, and she "needed" a dumptruck to hold the pinecone she had found. I had just opened the door and let her get the truck on her own. Apparently, when she took the entire basket of trucks off the shelf, it fell. Too busy playing, or simply not wanting to tell me what had happened, Coralyn never mentioned the incident.

Realizing this, I wanted to give Coralyn a second chance to tell the truth, and so I asked her again, "Coralyn how did the shelf fall down?" And once more, my darling child lied point blank to my face, "Lily did it."

"Coralyn, if you broke the shelf, you're not in trouble," I explained to her. "BUT, if you are lying to me, then I will be upset with you. Just tell me the truth. Who made the shelf fall?"

"Lily did it." She stuck to her story.

Lawrence came in the room and also reassured her that we weren't going to be mad at her if she had caused the shelf to fall. He, too, talked with Coralyn about the importance of telling us the truth, no matter what.

Eventually, Coralyn caved and admitted that she had been the one to make the shelf come down and the toys spill everywhere. As I hugged her and thanked her for finally telling me the truth, I wondered to myself, "Where in the world did she learn to lie like that?!" I certainly hope she didn't learn by watching ME!

I know something else she has learned from me, though.

After our talk, Coralyn headed to the bathroom to take her bath. She went potty, and then before climbing into the bathtub, she stepped onto the scale, watching to see the numbers appear. Thankfully, she doesn't understand what exactly those numbers mean yet. Sadly, I know where she picked up on particular behavior.

Maybe in addition to our "always tell the truth" discussion, I need to have a "beauty is on the inside" talk with my little girl who seems to be growing up far too quickly!