Life With Boys: Tessing Around

The Life With Boys episode This Time the Problem is With Dad and Not With Boys sent me flying back to when I was an eleven-year-old troublemaker. Sneaking around seems cool, but getting caught SUCKS, and if you don't get caught (which was never the case for me) the guilt will eat you up -- ask Tess!

When I was a kid, my parents and grandparents bragged about how smart I was to, basically, everyone! There wasn't one grocery store visit that didn't end in my mother or grandmother telling a random shopper how much of a genius I was. As the years passed, I started to believe I really was a genius. In sixth grade, I stopped doing homework altogether. When my grandfather asked why I wasn't working on anything, I told him my teacher was rewarding me for doing so well in class. He'd nod and say 'okay,' but it turned out he was the real genius.

My grandfather ended up calling my school and asking my teacher why she wasn't assigning homework and she snitched me out! She told him I hadn't turned in any homework in weeks and that I claimed to be forgetting it at home. My grandfather didn't punish me or anything; he didn't even tell me he spoke to my teacher. He just picked me up from school that day and didn't say a word to me. He didn't speak to me for four days (these were the most awkward car rides, ever). I was such a talker when I was younger (still am) and nothing made me feel worse than being ignored. My grandfather was well aware of this.

It might not seem like a harsh punishment, but after a day or two of this perpetual silence, I thought I would literally die of grief. When I figured out what was going on, I had a breakdown in the school parking lot. My grandfather hugged me and told me never to lie to him again. I must say, that whole "I'm not mad at you, I'm disappointed" bit works every time! Maybe Tess is the genius though, because she was smart enough to rat herself out! What do you think? Tell us about a time you've lied to your parents and if it was worth it!