When Words Collide

Lainey Hope has just turned four. FOUR. Oh my word.

You know what her favorite book is right now?

The Jesus Storybook Bible.

This is not your every day children's bible. It's real, honest and sometimes bloody. Every story literally points to Christ.

And she eats it up.

We have read it cover to cover and she has asked so many questions about life, death, sin, Jesus, storms, grace, baptism, shoe sizes (Goliath), forgiveness, heaven, eating bugs (alive or dead?) and the list goes on.

It's been a great tool to help explain the gospel to our girl. I pray daily for the hearts of my girls, that they would love the Lord and walk the road He has for them. Sometimes I wonder if she's really catching what we've been discussing...

Over the past few months my four year old friend has discovered lying. Nothing major, just trying to cover up something she fears she may get punished for or trying to hide something she did. It's totally normal at this age, part of her cognitive development.

But that doesn't mean it should continue.

So we've been working on it. Sometimes there's punishment, sometimes we talk through it.

There's been lots of talking through it.

One morning a few weeks ago, I was upstairs in the playroom, struggling to stay awake. There had been little sleep for me the night before because my friend Emily had an ear infection and could only sleep if I held her at an inclined position. All night. The girls were playing dress up down the hall when all the sudden Em started shrieking.

Andy called up to Lainey from the living room

Lainey, why is she crying?

Well, she scratched me.

She's crying because she scratched you?

No, I scratched her back.

At this point, she should have stopped. Just in innocent fly-by scratching between sisters. But she had to add....

Because she asked me to.

Oh dear. Now it's over. Start warming up the time-out chair and check the wooden spoon for splinters.

Andy very calmly said

Lainey, I know she didn't ask you to scratch her. She doesn't even know those words.

And then the stand-off began.

Lainey upstairs, nervously chewing on her fingers, looking over the balcony at Andy below, probably thinking to herself

Dangit! Why can't you babies speak more clearly! Seriously, I had over 200 words at this age, catch up will ya!

Andy, staring right back at her, trying to impress the importance of telling the truth, even when the news is unfortunate.

And me, lying on couch, thankful that I don't have to handle this one. Hoping they work it out soon, because I could really use a Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. And it's downstairs. In the kitchen. And I am not.

For the next several hours minutes Andy calmly said

Lainey, tell me the truth.

And then he stared at her.

And she stared at him.

And I still laid on the couch. Thirsty.

She apparently decided to plead the fifth, because she had nothing to say. At all. Maybe she was waiting for her aunt Sarah, attorney-at-law to come her rescue. Maybe she was trying to disappear. Maybe she was hoping that her sisters would simultaneously rip off their diapers and poop on the floor, causing a ruckus that would lead to the greatest distraction ever.

It could happen.

Finally, about the 15th time he spoke, Andy changed his wording

Lainey, what is the the truth?

She calmly replied

Jesus.

By george, I think she's getting it.