Yes, I did. I lied to my 7 year old daughter. (By Bonnie)
I flat out lied and like with any lie, it grew and grew and made things worse, not better – lesson learned.
So how did it come about that I threw this whopper out there?
Well, it’s no excuse but I was tired, very tired and my independent little thinker has been trying more and more to grab control of her world and seize it – this time it manifested itself into a foot stomp directed at me.
A full blown, hands on the hips, in your face, foot stomp.
I wasn’t shocked at her ‘this is the way we are going to do it’ body language, after all she is testing me and the waters of her growing sense of self.
What I SHOULD have done was stop everything, sit down with her and tell her the truth, “I don’t like that behavior and it’s not acceptable.” – but INSTEAD, I simply looked at her and the words just tumbled out of my mouth – “I read that if you stomp like that your leg will stop growing.”
She looked at me with disbelief, but I could see her little brain working – why would mom lie about something like that?
The payback, God’s way of telling me that this parenting shortcut was also not acceptable.
Out came the ruler. Next the tape measure. She started obsessing, measuring her legs – had they changed? Was one longer than the other? She started to cry, yes cry. What if it didn’t grow again? How was she going to run or do cartwheels?
The end result, a fake text to the doctor’s office (a.k.a. my sister who thought it was hysterical that I got myself into this situation) who concluded that the damage wasn’t permanent and likely reversible if everyone started behaving nicely to one another, telling the truth and ceased stomping all together.
I have learned my lesson.
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