A few weeks ago, we bought Lily a new watch. It seemed appropriate that she should be telling time now (right? I dunno, six seems about right to me.) Plus, she’s always playing at neighbors houses and the idea of telling her to be home by six for dinner seemed so very June Cleaver. It’s pink and black with a little ladybug adorning the hour hand. The perfect back to school accessory.
Except, there is a little downside to teaching my daughter how to tell time. One that I did not predict at all: I can no longer lie about time, myself. And, that? Totally sucks.
Gone are the days when I can promise that we can go somewhere in 15 minutes and then an hour later, finally it’s time. So long to the days of half-hazardly responding an hour, rather than actually calculating the minutes it will take to cook and cool the brownies in the oven. Suddenly, she’s beginning to understand how long movies are and that ten minutes really isn’t all that long at all. Not every car ride can be 20 minutes and “a few minutes” no longer serves as a blanket response. It’s requiring more thought that I’m used to, and frankly, I don’t like it.
Is this the beginning of the end of lying to my children? Once they start grade school, do they become too smart for the little fibs and white lies of parenthood? Nobody warned me about this. I need to come up with some new parenting tactics, stat.
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That sucks! My kids just started remembering the empty promises I would make before naptime. They wake up saying “pool” when I had already forgotten that I promised that. I don’t know what I’ll do when they learn how to tell time! A friend of mine set all of her clocks for different times so that she couldn’t be pinned down!
Rebecca recently posted..Devil Dogsnot just a delicious snack treat
Yep, the end of an era for sure. Sorry about that. ;)
Jen recently posted..Monday Musings
My son is starting second grade and he’s too smart for me too. We just have to find something else to lie to them about!
Hahahaha, Jill. Poor mommy.
I told my kiddos they can get watches in High School and my kitchen clock has Roman Numerials on it – which means they will figure it out in like middle school, no?
OHmommy recently posted..From DINKs w-dog to MIL w-cancer
But what if you set the watch back an hour? Does that mean you’d get an extra hour in the day?
Haha you’re busted now
Meghan recently posted..Mommy and Me
So funny. And so dead on.
It’s a sad day when the lies have to stop. I wanted that to go on forever.
life with kaishon recently posted..Worst joke ever!
Ah yes…I remember the time when my husband and I realized that spelling words so as not to let on to something was a thing of the past. You just figure it out…
Christine recently posted..Christmas in August
Ugh! I hated when this happened at our house. My popular “give me a minute” now results in them counting to sixty. Kids, they’ll kill ya if you’re not careful.;)
ha! love it. that’s why i will never, ever buy my little one a watch. or a clock.
he’s six.
melissa recently posted..The Day Democracy Died In Hazel Park
Aww.
They grow up and get smart on ya.
The plus side now is that my eleven year old likes to cook…and she’s quite good.
So, sometimes she’s in charge of dinner.
Of course I approve of the menu first.
Use their powers for good :)
Rene
Rene Foran recently posted..baring it all in the name of honesty
oh god, thanks for the warning. I’m sorry you have to go through this, but am so glad to have the heads up! I will most definitely wait until my children are, well, way into an age that is double digits before introducing teaching them to tell time!
Can you try and tell her that there’s ‘grown up’ time and ‘kid’ time?!
good luck!
Naomi recently posted..Tears of joy
that’s why for my kids, there will be no santa claus from the get go.
The real L.A. love story. recently posted..The transformation is almost complete
Don’t get too discouraged. Knowing the concept of time only last for a few years. Once they hit those TEEN years they lose it again!! :) yeah it’s a little nerve wrecking at times but it works in your favor the majority of the time!!
I believe Naomi may be on to something with the ‘grown up’ time & ‘kid’ time thing. I clearly remember my mother telling us “You’re on MY time!” Hmm?!
Yes, the time has come to an end. Once my son hit school he slowly started to unravel the lies and now finds joy in pointing out the fact that he knows I am lyinging when I say “Just give me a second” His favorite response “You know your second was up like an hour ago right”
Cheryl recently posted..Back to School
Oh, I know… my newly turned 5 year old is way too smart for me and is already correcting me several times a day… dude is smarter than I am! ;)
Oh yeah, I totally get it. when my son was 3 we told him he couldn’t come into our room until morning 7 on the weekend. Then I promptly set the clock back in his room by 20 minutes.
It worked for a little while but then he started getting all confused & agitated when he noticed the difference between the clock in his room and our room. The jig was up!
You can always lie to your kids. This probably isn’t the end of that. It’s probably the end of them believing you. Because now you’ve introduced impartial facts to the relationship. Whatever you do, don’t let your daughter get access to the internet or she might start googling other truths too.
Distracted Dadddy recently posted..Driving Miss Baby
I’m never letting my daughter get old enough to tell time. I’ve decided :)
Sandra recently posted..Joy In The Little Things
Well Jill – now you – Scary Mommy – have truly scared me. We will wait on watches as long as possible!
Brittany at Mommy Words recently posted..Best Homemade Bloody Mary Recipe
I am deluding myself that this will never happen in our house. Lalalalalalalala …
Haha! Yes, no more lying about time, huh? I’ve got a particular 9 year old who, if he wears a watch, will declare the time every minute. I swear he’d worse that 1800POPCORN (did you dial that when you were a kid?). I like to “lose” his watch frequently. Unfortunately, we found it when cleaning the basement this weekend. :(
Lolli recently posted..Freeze It! Budget Bootcamp 8
Now it’s time to switch to military time, that should take her a while to catch onto.
Ha ha, I’m just waiting for the “OMG, you LIE to your kids? What, did you BOTTLE FEED them too???” commenter-type person. Annnnny second now. ;-)
Thanks for the warning. If my daughter is anything like my husband, time won’t really matter anyways. But just in case… no watches!
Carrie recently posted..Why- hello there!
Kinda like when they learn how to spell and you can no longer ask your husband to grab some I. C .E .C .R .E . A. M. on the way home for after the monsters go to bed.
Jennifer June recently posted..You’re sick!
Can’t lie that it is bedtime any more either. That was the kicker for me.
Jacki recently posted..Book in Review – Animal- Vegetable- Miracle
I really think we need a law that kids can’t be smarter than their parents. I don’t even want to think about not being able to use time to my advantage.
Jennifer recently posted..Lets talk about sex with our babies
Oh crap. Well that settles it. I will never teach my kids to tell time. Or read. Because who wants to explain what Condom Sense is on the way to school?
Julie recently posted..Not Me Monday!
Yes, unfortunately, they get bigger and smarter and realize us as the liars we really are.
I have a set of kids and then a single. There is 3 years between #1 and #3 and then 8.5 years between #3 and #4. It was easy when the boys were little… spelling words so they didn’t know what we were saying, Christmas shopping with them with us, the “just a minute” trick where that mysteriously turns into an hour!
Then they (the kids) evolved into independent thinkers and I actually think they got smarter than me!
Then along came the Princess. Who is now 3.
So if we try to spell something out there is no doubt one of the brothers will shout out from the next room over “Did you say CAKE?” or “I want to go to!” Or if I casually tell Miss Jaizy that she can watch G-force (one more time) in 15 minutes you can BET that one of those brothers will be there to remind her.
Unless it means they have to get off the tv or video games. Then they try to pull the “in a little bit” or “how about 15 minutes?” trick.
Desiree recently posted..My Jaidelyn
thanks for the heads-up on the watch thing. my kid has a watch, but he’s only three so when i ask him what time it is, he says “eighy forty ten.” i told my husband i thought it would be so cute when he finally learns to tell time, but now i’m rethinking my position and hoping he never figures out what those little hands mean.
alexis recently posted..marriage before midgets
When my oldest ones were little and I was doing the single parenting thing, about once a week I would change the clocks back so that at 6pm every clock in my house said 8pm. Yes. I. Did.
Stefanie recently posted..its a boy thingright
The time thing I can live with, but the day my kids figure out what is and is not chicken, I’m quitting.
ClumberKim recently posted..Taking It On The Road- New York Edition
I am in the same boat – my almost 7 year old has been telling time for a while now and it’s rather aggravating. I especially love how he times me whenever I give him a specific amount of time for something I’m working on. First, I lost the swearing, now the lying is losing its queue. Kind of tragic.
Convince her the watch is wrong. ;)
Before I could tell time my mom always measured everything in Barney episodes. “We’re going to the store in one Barney.”
“Dinner will be ready in one and a half Barnies.”
“You napped for two Barnies!”
etc. etc.
When I started school and we started learning about hours, minutes, seconds, I told the teacher that she forget to mention how many minutes were in a Barney.
My 8 yr old is ok with time she gets Mommy is very busy. My teen age boys have still not figured out how to read a watch or the clock on their cell phones!
Absolutely! There should have been a warning. I wish I didn’t have so many digital clocks around. My boys still aren’t great at reading the hands, that would at least buy me a bit of peace.
Heather recently posted..Ding Dong PUR Water Calling
My son somehow developed a knack for knowing exactly how many seconds are in a specific period of time before he learned how to tell time (around 4). So if I tell something’s happening in 15 minutes, he actually counts to 300. He also learned to read at 3, so spelling things out was a fleeting solution. The worst is him reading everything over my shoulder.
mecarol recently posted..Am I a Mean Girl
You know I never thought about it like that…but yes I guess the smarter they get the less we can lie..which is really Unfair…..LOL
Kir recently posted..Perfect Moment Monday- The SHHS Reunion- how it went
I remember when my kids got smart and caught on. Puts an end to all mommy’s quiet, fun time.
Christina @RantRaveRoll recently posted..GIVEAWAY EcoSMART – WHATS YOUR IDEA OF SAFE PESTICIDES FOR HOME
I know what you mean; I’ve actually had to resort to telling my kids the truth… “I can’t do X, Y or Z because I’m just too tired/cranky/distracted right now.” The upshot is that they let me take a lot more naps!
Lynn from For Love or Funny recently posted..Does Prince Charming carry rope in his leotard
Oh dear…..mine is at this stage too and it really does suck. When I say ‘wait a minute’ what I mean is ‘let me surf the net for 10 minutes’ but now she sits and counts to sixty and then starts bugging me to move!!!! Enjoy ;-)
Emma recently posted..Giveaway – Dodo Wall Acad-Pad
Yeah – this would be a problem for me… Ten minutes in my house can mean anything from ten minutes to an hour.
Kate Coveny Hood recently posted..Summer Ennui
It’s the “bedtime” time that kills me now. No longer can I fib and put the little one down at 8:00 instead of 8:30 – no, there’ll be NONE of that!
Cathy recently posted..Should I Let Them Sleep
I hate to say this, because I feel your pain, but I loved it when the kids could finally tell time, because I could say “Don’t ask me again before 2pm; we’re not leaving until 2pm” and then I would totally cut them off if they asked me at 1:56: Um, excuse me, is it 2 yet? No? Then go away.
Serene recently posted..A perfect summer dinner- Sloppy joes- cole slaw- and corn on the cob
Does no one else turn clocks forward at bed time? Good Lord, I’d be in my grave by now if 8.15 didn’t happen about 5 minutes after 7.
Lorraine recently posted..Gleimous
No, it is not the begining of the end of lying to your children. As the parent of a teenager, I can say that you just have to be more sophistocated w/ your lies; and be cafeful not to let them pick up on your tells. If they do you dead in the water. lol But we all know that there are sadly times when we must lie to them in order to protect them, and we must get better at it as they get better at picking up on it.
When it got too much, I took the battery out! I’m so bad….
Kelly recently posted..A New Movement- Blog it Forward! Are you in
That is terrible!
Jen recently posted..Wait- Did He Just Sit Down
Love it! My daughter is only 3 and already asking us “How long really is 5 mintues”. DANG IT! 5 Minutes is as long as mommy says!
theresa @rockonmommies recently posted..What’s in a Name…Choosing the Perfect Name for Your Baby
I thought about getting a clock for Reilly’s room. I thought it would especially help with his early morning wake-up time. My dream was that he would see the time and stay in his room until the appointed hour to come downstairs. Then I realized with a clock he might protest bedtime because it wasn’t “time.” So – a clock personally for him and education about said clock can wait. A. long. long. time.
My 5 year old daughter recently started being able to know what “15 minutes” is – although she needs a little help. We use it when she’s having trouble falling asleep and I say “I’ll check on you in __ minutes”.
She has a watch, and I’m helping her learn but I have a school teacher friend who told me that learning to tell time in school has been moved to 4th grade in BC (Canada) because that’s when kids emotionally and mentally are ready for it. I thought that was strange – but it might buy you a bit of time!
My 2 year old already outsmarts me. Every day he says something that just floors me and leaves me speechless. I’m so in trouble when he’s in grade school. I may need a tutor to help me keep up.
Allison @ Alli ‘n Son recently posted..Response cached until Wed 25 @ 4:37 GMT (Refreshes in 49 Minutes)
Yep..you’ve done it now, you’re officially screwed. Trust me on this one – I’m the mother of a 17 year old daughter. Actually my latest post is entitled, It Gets So Must Worse…have a nice cocktail, then read it :-)
pamtastic recently posted..Running and Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Oh crap. See, this is one of those things I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT. I mean, I lie about time constantly. Now I have to start planning my way around THIS whole deal. Thanks for the heads up though, my dear. :)
Tricia recently posted..Spinning
“Time keeps on tickin, tickin, tickin……..into the future!”
Me: “When the little hand gets to the number 3 we’re going swimming.”
Them: “Mom it’s not moving!” (cue the whining)
Ugh! Makes you think why do we don’t pay as much attention to all the time spent like they do?
Sherry recently posted..Unwrapping Summer with my Senses
I am so glad someone was kind enough to warn me about the future loss of the white lie, or the blatant lies I depend on to get though my day. The day I can’t say, “You just lost 4 minutes of tv time.” without it being earth shattering, will be like losing a limb. I’ll feel like it is there waiting like a phantom, but unable to do it’s job. I truly get pissed when a perfectly aware mother leaves me to find these things out on my own. For example, why didn’t anyone stop me from buying my daughter a gold fish?
You know who you are and you know what happened next. Many tears and promises, to be broken later, could have been avoided if someone had informed me that these little goldfish last about 24 hours. So, I am glad to have time to practice for the truth, next time, soon after that, or in the future.
And that is why I have no clocks in my house. That way I am the Mistress of Time. Mwhahahaha!
(hey, desperate times…)
Elisa @ Globetrotting in Heels recently posted..Fun- Fashion and the chance to win 1000
You need to be careful about the little white lies. It teaches your kids that it is ok to lie. Or even worse, if you play it off as if you had a brain lapse instead of lying, they start to think they are smarting then you and stop respecting you.
The best thing is to accept that you have smart children and they can handle reasonable answers to situations without lies. It works. I did this with my daughter and now she has been invited to go to Yale. I would like to believe it is because I did not lie to her and she is now able to handle the tough things in life.
Tracy Sohl recently posted..Stop being lazy and DO YOUR JOB!
My teenager is giving me a taste of my own medicine. Now HE’ll say to ME – I’ll do it in “just a few minutes”, like I’ve done many times to him. And an hour later, it’s still not done. And I can’t really complain, as I do it, too!!
Ally recently posted..School Shopping Resistance
I am reaping this consequence also. Lorelli is learning time. We bought her some time telling flash cards. And a little rubber clock to learn to tell time. SHe still does not have the CONCEPT of minutes and hours down yet, though. But she does know when I tell her 8ish – that that is not a time.
I guess you’ll have to say, we’ll go when I’m ready now,
and we’ll do such and such when I am at a good place in the other things I need to do, to be able to stop and us do whatever,
it’s better than promising a certain time now.
It’s entirely too early for the lies to stop. She needs a second watch set to a time of your choosing. You refer her to “that” watch as needed.
The Grasshoppa: Triplet Plus Two Momma recently posted..The Bus Stop
Hahaha, too funny! I can so relate! Luckily DD (8) doesn’t call me on my “just 2 more minutes honey” I have a feeling though that DS (3) will when he figures out the whole time thing!
Tanya recently posted..Kids Birthday Invitation Samples – Verse 9
Oh, dear. I didn’t see that one coming. And I got no new parenting tactics for you either. But when you get them, please share. My two year old is already on to my trick of spelling certain things out – and telling me to slow down when the stop light turns orange!
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