Ups and downs

Do you ever have one of those parenting moments that actually makes your stomach turn? The kind where you would give anything to have a screaming infant again? Yep, I said it- screaming, colicky infants are easier than lying, stealing, grown up third graders. I knew it was coming, I knew we would have to face this. But, I didn't want to, still can't say I have handled it completely. It's not over, it's just the beginning. The start of new questions and harder issues and a sort of loss of innocence. And we can't make it stop :( Alex knows. He knows there is no Santa, no Easter bunny and no tooth fairy. He doesn't believe in fairy tales and there is no such thing as magic. My baby boy is gone. He has been replaced with a conniving, lying, stealing third grader who doesn't "need" any of that stuff. It all happened after we received the second call from his teacher since school started (yes, that is correct, school has only been in session for 3 weeks). He had been caught sneaking out of class to buy candy bars (with stolen money from his sisters piggy bank) and then lied to the candy bar seller by telling her that his teacher sent him to get it. He then threw away his I-care plan (basically a report letting his parents know when he gets in trouble). We found out about it from a call from the teacher. Not the way you want to start the school year. So, I decided to have a discussion with him (again) about lying in which I made the example of saying that his dad and I dont lie about things. He stared at me for a second and then it happened- "well, actually, you have lied to us about Santa, the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy because you said they are real but it's really you guys". And the girls looked at us and we lied again(I know, I think we may really have a problem). I later had a talk with Alex and tried to get him to understand that he needed to keep the magic alive for his sisters no matter what he believed in. We'll see. He's not good at secrets so I have a feeling that Anna will also be a non-believer as well.

On an up note, Alex asked to play Chutes and Ladders before he went to bed. It has been years since I've played that game. I think, somewhere, he knew that he is on the verge of growing up and it was his way of being a little boy again, if only for a few minutes....