My four year old lied to me last night about where she put her clothes after having her bath.

I asked her if she put them in the hamper to be cleaned and she said, “Yep. I put them in the laundry,” before skipping down the hall to sharpen the chalk.

She had not put them in the hamper. She had hidden them behind her closet door which seems to bring her some heightened amount of satisfaction, knowing I will have to constantly ask, “What happened to all of your clothes?”

So I called her on it and said, “Chloe, I hope you’re not lying to me about where your clothes are.”

Chloe: Nope. I’m not.

Me: Alright, but lying is never okay.

She looked into my eyes trying to break me. She half-smiled hoping she would get some reaction, a big hug, a huge laugh. I wasn’t budging.

“Chloe, did you lie about where you put your clothes?”

Chloe: I was just tricking you. I’m not a lion Mom. I don’t even know how to roar.