Cannot Tell a Lie

Jada is now around the age and comprehension level I was when I started to learn how to lie out of self-interest. My two most common lies were that, yes, I had already brushed my teeth, and no, I had not yet been given a cookie. Mom usually saw through both, but I was persistent in my lying, so it took me awhile before I learned the next lesson, which is that lying isn't good to do.

It appears that Jada cannot yet tell a lie, less because she wants to be moral and more because she wants to be structured. She gets one and only one gummy vitamin at breakfast, and another at dinner, so if Amy has already given her one at a meal and I am not aware and give her another, she will refuse it. And, earlier this week, when I told her she would have to give me the two bracelets she was wearing when we arrived at school, because our rule is no jewelry at school, and then, in the rush to get them in and me out so I didn't miss my meeting, I forgot to get those two bracelets, she chased me down and handed them to me.

Maybe I should give my daughter a little more credit. She knows it's not very nice to throw trash on the ground, or to be mean to her brother. And, I suppose the fact that she cannot tell a lie is a very good thing that I ought not discount.