When Little, White Lies Are OK

I read somewhere recently that you shouldn't lie to your children... not even little, white lies! So I ask this... is telling my son that if he plays in his poop, he will have to get a shot, a bad thing?! I think not!

I suppose I may have been under the impression that once I finally got my child to poop on the toilet that I was done toilet training... WRONG! There are a few tiny details left that at the time you think nothing of, because you are so excited that after almost a year of bribery you have succeeded in this battle between boy and bowel movement! Those tiny details include the act of wiping one's behind and redressing oneself because oneself refuses to leave his pants dangling at this ankles!


School has been my #1 bribe since day one w/ this child. "Jaxon, if you poop in the potty you can go to school!" And eventually it worked, he did poop on the potty, but was a little upset to find that school wouldn't be starting for another year! So as the school year approached I decided that we needed to start working on the process of wiping, dressing and washing... w/out assistance!

Things were rocky at first, I'm not gonna lie. Like another man I know, he had grown accustomed to me simply doing it for him. The process has been slow and we are just now getting the hang of it. Today was the first time ever that he went in (unannounced), did his business and came back out (buns wiped and pants on), he even shut the door!!!

Back to my little, white lie, you know, the one about the shot! So last week I go in to do my usual check of the buns. He hasn't called me in which is unusual, and it had been quite some time since he'd announced his departure to the throne. When I walk in he is still seated so I ask, "Are you done?" He looks at me rather startled and says, "NO!" I let myself out, tell him to call when he's ready and go about my business.

Five minutes later he comes darting out, pants sort of on and announces that he's headed outside. I am beaming! He did it! I head in to check and see if he's flushed, I don't remember hearing the toilet. I walk in and everything seems normal. The toilet seat is still up and the roll of paper is lying on the floor but then I notice that something's not quite right. Horrified at the sight, I run outside yelling for Jaxon to come back in. He slowly makes his way up to the house looking rather guilty.

I first ask to see his hands. He of course doesn't want to show me so I ask again. This time he takes them from behind his back. He has come from the sand pile so of course the evidence is covered by tiny grains of sand but still visible to this mother's eye. I then ask (in a calm voice), "Jaxon, were you playing in your poop?" He looks at me knowing he's been caught and says, "No! I not play in poop!" I ask if he's lying, he replies that he is... good answer!

I look at him and ask if he liked getting a shot last week for his school physical. He of course replies, "No Mommy! I not like shots!" This is where the little, white lie came into play... "If you play in your poop it will make you very sick! So sick, that Mommy will have to take you back to get not just one shot but several SHOTS!"

When Kent came home from work that evening I told Jaxon to tell him what had happened that afternoon. He was embarrassed and didn't want to tell Kent but eventually did. He then went on to say that he'd not do it again, he didn't want to get another shot! Kent looks at me (w/ a smirk)... I'd been caught in my little, white lie!