HARMLESS FIB?

The kids totally busted me a few weeks ago at the ferry terminal when I was paying for our boarding fare. I told the lady "it's me a 7, 4 and 2 year old." Sam and Clara immediately yelled out that Sam was actually 5, not 4 like I said. They wanted to know why I told the lady otherwise. I eventually confessed...I lied because I didn't want to pay $12 for a 5 year old when a 4 year old was free. The told me that was wrong and Sam pulled out a dime from his pocket and told me next time we should pay with this (he thinks he is in the chips).

Needless to say, I decided not to lie about that again.

However, I'd like to think that there is such a thing as a harmless fib. Things we tell our kids to get through an afternoon or an evening in peace. Particularly to kids (like Sam) who can be stubborn and exhaustingly relentless and can ask you the same thing over and over and over, and even over, again.

Some of Sam's latest obsessions which I feel require a harmless fib:

1. Asking if he can "see if Mathew is home" (the boy across the street). First thing he asks when he wakes up and last thing he asks before going to bed (never mind the 21 times in between). Since we have been up on the island for the summer it has become less of an issue, although just yesterday when we were home, I finally told him "Mathew was away on vacation". Lie or harmless fib?
2. Asking me what time is it at bedtime? Sometime this summer, he has decided that a 7:30pm bedtime is lame and his new bedtime is 10:00pm. He asks me every 3 minutes what time is it now? And obviously exhausted, will force himself awake until I tell him it is 10:00pm. Tonight, at 8:12pm when he asked me what time is it, I told him 10:00pm. Lie or harmless fib?

Speaking of bedtime, I am going to try to be in bed by 11:00pm starting on Monday. Actually I need to do a lot of things now that the summer is coming to an end. Like, drink water and eat less guacamole. Maybe take a little champagne break too.

And a few very random pictures: