play date

Yesterday I had a friend come over with her daughter, Hailey, who just turned four. They stayed all day. Longer than I had anticipated. I was ready for them to leave about 3 1/2 hours before they actually did.... Athen was coming down with a cold and Hailey has a tendency to manipulate situations.

For example, Athen ran into the house from playing outside, hysterical over the fact that Hailey had hit him. She followed right behind him and said simply, "No I didn't, he hit me." Athen looked at her for a second, confused, and still weepy...I looked at Hailey's huge brown puppy eyes...and realized she was full of shit. Athen would not behave so dramatically if he had not been hurt...and she kept insisting that it was him, not letting him get a word in. With her mother there, and both of us not having witnessed said hitting, I said the only thing I could think of. "Both of you, don't hit."

Actually it worked, they ran outside immediately and got over "it." However, after Hailey and her mother finally left, I asked Athen again if he had hit her and he said "no, I didn't." I told him I believed him.