Another New Year's Resolution. In September?

I know it's not really New Years, but I'm one of those people that likes to make jokes in times of seriously serious seriousness. You know, the annoying person that you just sigh at and wish would shut up? Yeah, that's me.

But in all serious seriousness, I'm ready to turn over a new leaf.

Three weeks have gone by, and I've been on emotional roller-coaster the entire time. I'm ready to get off this ride and get back to normal. Or what I was used to as normal.

I've been busy teaching my children. And not teaching them the usual ABCs and 123s. Instead, I've been teaching them about life and death. Very recently, our always reliable babysitter was taken away much too soon. And for reasons we aren't totally sure of. I know I've ranted about her at least once here, but we always hurt the ones we love, right? No? Crap.

Okay, I'm not telling anymore not-funny jokes. Promise. Sorta.

But, really, teaching young, impressionable children about this sort of serious stuff is something that no adult - parent or not - is prepared for. However, the resilient little babies they are, always see the silver lining. I've learned quite a bit in the short time since her death, but most of all, I've learned to cherish every moment with the ones you love. And I learned how to accept lies. Lies are O-K. At least I'd like to think so...

There is a very long and drawn out story to our learning of her death that I will spare from the publicity of the internet, but our children were with us when it happened and some very generous neighbors preoccupied them during the hardest parts. These neighbors had one very important and vital gift: a parrot.

So, when Brandon and Logan are reunited at the end of the day, here is how the narration goes down (Oh, Brandon was at school, so he had no idea anything out of the ordinary had happened, so he could only learn of the whole sordid truth by way of Logan):

Logan: "We were at [babysitters] house and dad couldn't get the doors open and [babysitter] didn't answer the phone and the police came and I told [babysitter] that if she didn't come out then the police were going to come in and arrest her and then the amb-a-lance [not a misspelling] came and there were lots of lights and then there was a parrot and its feathers were green and soft and it talks! It says, 'Hi' and 'Bye' and I got to touch him and hold him on my shoulder and there was a dog and the dog and the parrot are friends and, Brandon, did I tell you about the parrot?"

The whole time, Brandon is trying to interrupt but clearly can't get a word in edgewise, saying "Mom, is that true?"

Logan finally stops to take a breath and then closes with: "And then [babysitter] went to be with Jesus and I'm gonna go back over to her house when she's done."

And that's where I'm going to leave it.

I don't feel it's necessary to correct what might very well be true in my child's eyes. I'm not going to leave him with a twisted view of his own reality, because even though it's not 100% true, we all have to lie a little to be good parents.

Yeah, that means you too, Mom; I ate all that bread crust and did NOT make my hair grow any faster!