Lessons Learned about Lying (7 year old style)

When going to be last night, I stopped in Noah's room to give him a kiss (my usual routine). While there, I noticed the water in his fish tank looked rather murky and saw a little pile of something 'foreign' in the water. So I made a note to self: must clean fish tank tomorrow.

This morning, not only was the water murky but you could not see a thing - the stones, the shark or even the fish, Rachel. I assumed she was dead.

When I asked Noah if he knew what happened, he said, 'No'.

Then it hit me, the "pile of something" that I saw last night looked the same colour as the fish food pellets (you know, the little pellets that they only need one a day of, but this pile probably consisted of 150 little pellets). And this his how our conversation went:

M: Noah, did you put a bunch of food in Rachel's tank.
N: Yes mommy.
M: Well WHY would you do that? Fish only need 1 pellet a day. I thought we had talked about this. If you give her more than she needs she could die, and I think she is dead.
N: Well, I didn't like her anyways.

Okay, at this point I'm kinda in a freak out mode thinking that my child just KILLED his fish on purpose because he didn't like her (or possibly the responsibility of taking care of her). I was in SHOCK to think my son was capable to do such an act just because he simply didn't like Rachel. So this is how our conversation went from here:

M: Noah, why would you think you can just 'kill' a living creature (and one of God's creatures) just because you didn't like them. When you and a friend get into a fight and you don't like them, would you kill them? What do you think God would say knowing you killed one of His creatures? Do you think he would be disappointed?
N: (obviously shaken) he agreed with everything I was saying....No Mommy. He would be upset Mommy. Yes mommy.
M: Now go say a prayer and ask God for his forgiveness for killing one of His creatures.

After his prayer and while Jacques was cleaning out the mess in the tank, the three of us got talking about what happened. Noah broke down and totally confessed. It was OBVIOUS that there was HUGE remorse and sorrow by him trembling and the tears he was fighting to hold back. He told us (and I can't remember word for word) but basically each time we asked him if he had fed Rachel and he had said yes, he was lying. Several times he forgot to feed her. He was worried that by forgetting to feed her she would starve her to death. SO, to try and cover this lie he put in a bunch of food so she would have more than enough. So then he killed her anyways!!! When he tried to cover THAT lie by saying he didn't like her anyways!!

I have to admit something, though Jacques & I did EVERYTHING we could NOT to laugh at his confession there were two little giggles. And honestly, I really think that THIS moment may have been my funniest parenting moment so far....

I hope he's learned his lesson about lying now!