I left the house for about 90 minutes today while I took the four year old to a “play therapy” session. I returned home just in time to be able to get my daughter to her piano lesson on time. I popped into the house and asked if she was ready for her piano lesson. She was not, apparently she had forgotten. She grabbed her lesson books and she was putting her shoes on, so I ran outside and jumped into the van and then, I waited. About 10 minutes later, she came out and stared at the van for a minute. Then, she actually walked up to the van, opened the door, and asked if I was waiting for her. I know, I should have just said, “Yes.” Instead, I asked, “Don’t you have a piano lesson in 10 minutes?” “What have you been doing?” That just confused her even more, so I just drove and didn’t ask any more questions.

When we returned home, after the piano lesson, I found a hot glue-gun, plugged in, on the edge of the kitchen table. Since I had left the baby at home with the boys, I was concerned about the potential danger to her. I wanted to know who was using the glue gun, and that was when the double-talk, and the arguing about who was lying, started. My teen daughter with FAS insisted the nine year old had used the glue-gun. The nine year old was just as adamant that my teen had gotten it out and used it. Both girls have been having major issues with lying this past year, so I could not accept either story. Besides that, they spoke with conviction and anger at each other, both had a hand on one hip and a finger pointed at the other, and both had very serious looks on their faces.

The evidence was circumstantial, but convincing, so I presented it. “The nine year old isn’t tall enough to reach the craft boxes.” My seven-year-old pipes in that he saw the teen plug-in the glue gun. My husband loved this part and laughed about it later. Our teen, quite upset, yells at the seven year old, “You couldn’t see me when “I” plugged it in; you were in the playroom by the bookshelf.”

Apparently, the nine year old was upset that her candle was broken and my teen was going to hot-glue it back together for her. An admirable idea, but at our house we do not allow children to use hot glue guns, without adult supervision. I often wish the boys would intervene when they see their sister doing naughty things. However, I believe she has made them look stupid, in public, for reprimanding her enough times, that they now keep their mouths shut, and let her deal with the consequences of her actions. Now, if I could only learn to do that as well.


Related Links:
Cutting Things-Living With FAS
I Forgot - Living with FAS/FAE
What is FAS or FAE