Kids Figure Out Some Things Just Too Young

Kids figure out some just things too young. They pick up on ulterior motives and fibs. This past weekend the kids were fighting in the house and driving me crazy. I sent them out into the balmy spring weather on a hunt to find a broken Robin’s egg. I told them the beautiful blue Robin’s egg was “somewhere out under the trees.” The house was peaceful, at least for a while. After a thirty-minute unsuccessful hunt, the kids trudged back in the house. Their previous argument was long forgotten as the kids discussed bird vs. dinosaur eggs. Tess, my four year old, walked away from the egg discussion and bluntly asked me, “was there really an egg, or were you just lying to get us to go outside?” Bingo, give that girl a prize. It sure didn’t take her long to figure out my sneaky motives.
It reminded me of the time that my oldest son Leif, also came to that same conclusion. He was six years old and desperate for a pet turtle. He asked several times a day, everyday for many weeks. A weaker parent might have given in, but not me— Super Mom. I always answered, “we’ll see.” I must have been saying this a lot because when his younger brother asked for a fish and I said, “we’ll see,” Leif turned to his little brother and said, “ ‘we’ll see’ really means no.” Kids figure out some things just too young.