Tattle-tails are a pain in my tail.
Surely this sweet thing won't become a tattle-tail.
Recently, I watched my neighbor’s son for a few hours. Christopher will be four years old this spring. Christopher and Michael play often together, but it’s usually when his mom is around. This time she wasn’t, and it was a very different experience.
I’m not sure if it’s Christopher’s age, personality, or the effects of his parent’s nurturing, but he constantly tattled on Michael, even when it wasn’t warranted. Michael’s train table presented many problems for the two boys because they both wanted the same engine, track, etc at the same time. As I sat and watched them play while I nursed Maeve, I thought to myself, I don’t want Michael to behave this way when he gets older.
Later at the park, Christopher’s tattling continued, but this time it involved other children who were also enjoying the playground. I actually had to tell him a few times that the issues he addressed with me were none of his business and that the other children’s mommies would take care of it.
My mother-in-law has always said that in a group of children, there’s always one tattle-tail. In my husband’s family, it was his sister Bridget. Bridget was the eyes and ears on the other siblings for Mrs. Boyle. Mrs. Boyle never rewarded Bridget for her deeds, but rather discouraged them, while also reaping the benefits for the gained intelligence.
After my experience with Christopher, I’ve been thinking about how I want to deal with tattling in our family. Read my next post to fine what I’ve been thinking and see if you agree…
[...] I explained in Part I, in my eyes, tattle-tails are no-good. When Michael reaches that age/stage where tattling becomes [...]