FHE Fail

In our family, we have what we call FHE - short for "Family Home Evening".  Every Monday (almost), after dinner, we have a family pow-wow of sorts where we can discuss any family issues, have a short lesson on something I think would be valuable for our kids, and then usually a treat (this is a loose term.  My kids consider graham crackers w/ leftover frosting, or a spoonful of peanutbutter with chocolate chips stuck in it to be a treat) and an activity of some kind (board/card games, talent shows, etc.).  Lessons have ranged from acting out scripture stories, how to accept a "no" answer, all the way to how to properly fold laundry.

This past Monday, I thought we needed a refresher in "honesty".  Things were going very well- I told the classic story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, everyone offered their thoughts about the moral of the story, why people lie, why it's important to always tell the truth, what bad things can happen if we lie, etc etc.

 Then, I decided to illustrate the point that telling one lie often ends up spiraling into many many lies, to cover up the first lie.  I should have quit while I was ahead...

I asked The Frog to try to find out about my day.

The Frog: "So mom, what did you do today while I was at school?"
Me: "I discovered a grizzly bear in our yard, and so I chased it down!"
The Frog: "Oh really?  I thought grizzly bears didn't live around here, where did it come from?"
Me: "It escaped from a circus!"
The Frog: "Where is the circus?"
Me: "In Lowell."
The Frog: "How did you hear about it?"
Me: "Dad told me."
etc. etc.

I eventually cut it off in order to point out that I had to keep lying to cover up my initial lie.

Hazel raises her hand, so I call on her:
Hazel: "mom, can I have a turn telling lies?!"

Then she makes us ask about her day and she makes up some wild story about a rabbit.

Pretty soon, everyone sees how FUN it is to tell lies and wants to take turns!

**smacking forehead**