This has become my kids' VERY FAVORITE phrase as of late. When I see that a mess has been made, or some other infraction, and I ask "who did this???" the typical response:
"I didn't do it!"
I am sad to report that my kids are all LIARS. They don't want to get into trouble, because when I'm mad, let's just say I'm not very nice. So in a way I understand. But at the same time, it is very infuriating. It's the first thing out of their mouths, even if it's not true.
Example #1: Thing Three asks me if he can eat his fruit rollup in the basement. I tell him yes as long as he throws his wrapper away. Ten minutes later, I go down to the basement, and see a fruit rollup wrapper sitting on the desk next to the kids computer. I yell for Thing Three to come and throw it away.
"I didn't do it!"
I mean, seriously, do they think I was born yesterday? The funny part is, I always know EXACTLY who "did it." They all have their M.O.'s.
Thing Two never can manage to flush a toilet. Thing Three always leaves the TV on. Thing One can't turn her night light off to save her life. And she always leaves books and paper and pens all over the house. I will give her credit, though. At least she owns up to it.
But my boys--well, I think they would stand at the very gaping jaws of Hades and claim they "didn't do it" until they were blue in their faces. It's very annoying. And sometimes, sometimes, I can't tell who did it. They are that good at denial. So I just threaten to punish both of them, which usually works.
UGH.
It's probably just a phase, and one I'll be glad to see the back of.
I did manage to get a lot of plot outline done after the kids went to bed. This story I'm working on is very fun. I was lamenting yesterday to a writing buddy that the fun part is the outline, the hard part is the execution, or writing. I'm an impatient writer. I want to be able to churn out a novel in about a week. But then it would be crap, and I know it. Writing is a slow process for me, because I want to try and get it right the first time. It's hard to capture the movie in my head as precisely as I see it, I want to be able to do it justice. And that takes TIME.
Slowly and surely is better than not at all, I say!
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4 comments:
I agree with you -- some things take time. But the more you do it, the more you can telescope your process -- especially when there's a contract involved!
Ha! My kid used to lie, but I began punishing them for what they did wrong and then punish them even harder for lying to me. They learned to tell the truth real fast.
Good luck with the new story!
My 12 year old denies like crazy. It is truly most upsetting. He will say some bad word, the rest of the family are all within ear shot and hear him. I gasp and say quietly, "I can't believe you just SAID that!??!" and he will immediately start in on how he didn't. I sit there with my jaw dropped and the rest of us exchange glances. I have tried everything and when I stay on top of it, he is better about it. He seriously just does it without thinking. When I work with him and bring it to his attention, he is surprised at himself!
He has selective hearing too. Yesterday I was telling him he had until 2 PM to finish cleaning his room. When I was walking away I asked, "Now, when do you have to be finished by or you can't get on the computer?"
"I don't KNOW!??! You didn't GIVE ME A TIME!?!?"
I just asked all his sibs, who were in various places down stairs with us and all three of them called, "Two o'clock!" in unison. He just slammed the door in my face. *sigh* Which of course needed correction, but I have to choose my battles, you know?? Parenting can be SO HARD.
I am not sure about the phase thing. I think there is SOME truth to that, but mine all do the same thing and the almost 15 year old STILL does. He claims that it is the younger kids leaving the fruit roll up wrappers all over, etc etc. He is my most honest, morally aware one too. Yet he still sometimes just insists that it is not him, when I KNOW it is. We have severe consequences, the issue for me is staying on top of FOUR of them. I don't know EVERYTHING, you know?? *sigh* One will just need direction and correction and two more come screaming about something another one did. By the time I am dealing with THAT, the first one I was dealing with is off doing something they don't have permission to do...why did we have four?? LOL
GOOD LUCK! And sorry for another book. I have a lot to say sometimes.
Just wait until Thing Four is big enough to create mischief with Things Two and Three. Then you're in for a real treat. ;)
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