"but Im telling the TRUTH this time!"

So, Gina is going through the wonderful phase of lying.  AND, she gets SO UPSET if anyone doesnt believe her.

I have mentioned quite a few times that she needs to tell the truth more often, for us to believe her more often.  And when I catch her in a lie, she sobs, "how come NO one EVER believes me, even when I TRY to tell the truth!"

Well, I was able to give her a great, BIG example tonight.

While I was helping Chris with his homework, I asked Gina to pour a bowl of cereal for Maya.  A few minutes later,  Maya came into the room and said that Gina still had  not poured the bowl.  I asked Gina and she said "Yes, I made her the cereal in the BLUE bowl that is in the sink! she already ate it all!"  (which by the way, could NOT have happened because Maya happens to be one of the slowest eaters ever LOL) ... Maya shook her head and said "no mommy, she did NOT give me cereal." Gina yet again said "YES, I DID Maya!"

I looked at Gina, and asked her flat out, "did you, or did you NOT make a bowl of cereal for Maya?"  she looked at me and said "but mommy, why dont you believe me?!?! Im telling the truth all the time now!"

I went to the sink, and yes, there IS a blue bowl there ... was it fresh? Nope.  from this afternoon.  I asked Gina again "did you or did you NOT make Maya a bowl of cereal?  because THIS blue bowl, the ONLY blue bowl in the sink, is from this afternoon, so it could not have been from Maya's cereal.  Plus, Maya is a VERY slow eater, so she could NOT have finished a bowl of cereal in the 2 minutes it took for her to come talk with me again."

Gina looked down, and whispered "no mom."

So, I used this as a learning experience for her.  I asked her if she was telling me the TRUTH, or telling me a LIE when she told me that she made the bowl?  She answered "a lie mommy".  I asked her if she told me that she was TELLING the TRUTH "THIS TIME" ... she whispered "yes mommy, I said  that" ... So I asked her to count up how many lies she had just been caught saying.  She looked down and said "two".

I then asked her how she thinks I can believe her, if she even swears she is telling the truth "this time" when she IS actually telling a LIE.  And I told her that until she can PROVE to me that she IS telling the truth more often, then I am going to have an issue believing what she says.  And by simply saying "but I AM telling the TRUTH this time" isnt going to work, because she says that even when she is NOT.

If she wants me to believe her, then she NEEDS to tell the truth.  when she IS telling the truth, most of the time I WILL know.

Ahh the joys of parenting.