The Stand Off: A Lesson in Telling the Truth

Yesterday morning, while I was getting ready in my bathroom, Price comes around the corner and says with wide eyes "Mom, I have to show you something." He said it in a way that made me wonder what was up. I followed him to the kitchen. "Look what happened" he said, seeming surprised by what he saw.... there was sugar...everywhere! All over the counter and on the floor. The lid was off of the sugar jar and the stool pushed against the cabinets. It doesn't take much detective work to know what had happened!
Trying not to go into "fix it" mode, I asked, acting bewildered, "Oh my goodness, what happened?" Price raised his eyebrows and his shoulders and said "um, well, I think... Jackson did it." I was particularly surprised by this because we don't even now anyone named Jackson. I told Price to sit in the naughty chair and try to remember what happened; that I would be back in a few minutes and I wanted to hear the truth. After about 3 minutes, I returned and kneeled down in front of Price. "What happened with the sugar jar?" I asked. Price paused and said "um, see... well... Harley climbed up on the cabinet and he was barking. The breath from Harley's bark made the sugar fly out everywhere." I was trying so hard NOT to burst out in laughter! Yet, at the same time, I was so sad that again, he was lying.

I asked "Price, what does telling the truth mean?" He replied "saying what is right." "what is lying?" I asked, and he said "saying something that is not right." "You are correct, Price. God made mommy really smart and I know that you are lying. You get to sit here a little longer. When I come back, I want to hear the TRUTH." He cried...loudly for the next 4 minutes, mostly because he was mad to have to sit in the naughty chair for another round.

I returned and said "Are you ready?" He nodded his head. "what is the truth, bud?" In a burst of REAL tears, he said "I did it! I blew in the sugar jar and it went everywhere!" I hugged him and said "thank you for saying what is right." He pulled back and locked his eyes with mine (tears puddled in his huge brown eyes), and he said "I am still lying." "Okay. Do you have something else to tell me?" Sobbing he said "I put my hands in it too!" I tried not to chuckle.

I have to admit, when Price first lied and said that "Jackson" did it, I wanted to simply tell Price to stay out of the sugar jar, just go ahead and clean it up and head on to school. I could have. I wanted to. I knew addressing the issue and taking time to discipline would be an ordeal, and it was. We were 30 minutes late to school. But, I figure if I can get Price to understand the importance of telling the truth over what happened with the sugar jar at 4 years old, when the consequence is only having to sit in the naughty chair, it would be a lot better than when he is 11, 16, or 22 and the consequence of lying cost him much more. God instructs us as parents to train our children in the way we want them to go. My prayer is that God give me the discernment to see opportunities to teach deeper values and principles. I want him to know God's standard.

Will Price ever lie again? It is likely. He is human, afterall, complete with a sinful nature. I can at least rest assured that the line has been drawn, and he will know when that boundary has been crossed. A standard has been set to fight our human nature to deceive and instead"say what is right."