What's in that blanket? Wipe that smirk off your face!

The other night Diego was having a hard time staying in bed (see my previous post, Full Moon).

On his second trip down the stairs Diego said, "Okay, Mom, you caught me. I had these toys under my bed and I'm going to take care of them in the basement." He had a backpack full of plastic animals in his right hand and his "Cars" fleece blanket in his left.

Diego went to the basement and was there for a bit longer than I thought it should take him to drop the toys and come back upstairs. When he emerged from the basement door he had his "Cars" blanket bundled against his chest, holding it tightly with both hands - like it was really heavy.

Naturally I asked what was in the blanket? "Nothing," was the reply. I asked again, "Are you sure there's nothing inside the blanket?" "No, nothing," as a red Lightning McQueen car fell from the blanket's fold onto the floor.

"Hmmm, looks like something to me," I said. "That was the only one," the look on his face was like he couldn't believe one of his favorite toys would betray him like that.

I told him, "If there's nothing else in the blanket, drop it right now." Diego didn't want to do that. See, the bright orange "Bob the Builder" lunch bag that holds his Cars contains almost 75 matchbox size cars and weighs around 10 pounds... it could break a toe!

Diego was busted, he had to reveal the lunchbox and take the Cars back to the basement.

It was one of those parenting moments where you're angry because your kid just lied to you. The mind is buzzing with possible punishments for lying (he lost TV for the next day). However, if your husband is seated behind the child stifling a laugh, all you want to do is yell, "Wipe that smirk off your face!" This is serious stuff. And then you burst out laughing too... parenting 101 didn't teach this.