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How do you handle it?
Lately, Caleb (he is 7) has been less than truthful, always about something small. The biggest offender is when asked if he picked up his dirty clothes, he says yes. Upon checking, I find the clothes stuffed under his bed, tossed in a corner or put back into the drawers. He KNOWS what he is supposed to do, namely put the dirty laundry in the hamper. This has been the same chore for several years, but it is only in the last month or so that he has started lying about it. Now the hamper isn't in his room, but it has never been. It is a sorting type and he knows which goes in which section. It isn't about ability, it is about just plain not doing it because he didn't want to.
I am sure that the right thing to do is to reward the correct behavior, but honestly, that just isn't going to happen. I don't have the mental wherewithal to say "good job" each time he does this in the morning and again in the evening. I am just plain occupied trying to get everything else together. Rewarding the good behavior would also mean that I would need to go and check that he did it correctly.
Ugh - who knew that parenting would be so... frustrating, day in and day out.
But, on the flip side, he continues to delight me. Today, he made himself a cell phone, wallet and super-secret FBI ID out of construction paper. He proceeded to talk to several people, until the phone dropped the signal. Then he sent a few text messages. But the best is that he is carrying around $4.25 in real money in his paper wallet. I think I may need to get him a real wallet for Easter.
Lately, Caleb (he is 7) has been less than truthful, always about something small. The biggest offender is when asked if he picked up his dirty clothes, he says yes. Upon checking, I find the clothes stuffed under his bed, tossed in a corner or put back into the drawers. He KNOWS what he is supposed to do, namely put the dirty laundry in the hamper. This has been the same chore for several years, but it is only in the last month or so that he has started lying about it. Now the hamper isn't in his room, but it has never been. It is a sorting type and he knows which goes in which section. It isn't about ability, it is about just plain not doing it because he didn't want to.
I am sure that the right thing to do is to reward the correct behavior, but honestly, that just isn't going to happen. I don't have the mental wherewithal to say "good job" each time he does this in the morning and again in the evening. I am just plain occupied trying to get everything else together. Rewarding the good behavior would also mean that I would need to go and check that he did it correctly.
Ugh - who knew that parenting would be so... frustrating, day in and day out.
But, on the flip side, he continues to delight me. Today, he made himself a cell phone, wallet and super-secret FBI ID out of construction paper. He proceeded to talk to several people, until the phone dropped the signal. Then he sent a few text messages. But the best is that he is carrying around $4.25 in real money in his paper wallet. I think I may need to get him a real wallet for Easter.
How cute! As for the lying - I can't offer any advice, but I'm sure you'll figure out a clever solution soon (or he shapes up!)
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