I'm not Lying, I'm Tricking

Cursed New England winters.  Last night was one of those wet, icy evenings where walking outside guaranteed alternating between deep puddles and black ice.  I did not want to go out.  However, and you dog lovers out there, you know what I'm talking about, our dog Jake needed a walk. 

My husband Charlie shared that he'd walked Jake two times, already.  Emma, our 12-year-old, said she had walked Jake once.  

"Mom," Emma looked at me, "Have you walked Jake, yet?"

I looked her straight in the eye and said, "Yeah."

"Really, Mom?  When?"

"No, I didn't walk him," I admitted.

"Mom, you lied!"

"I did not lie, Emma, I was tricking you."

That's right folks, not only did I tell a falsehood to my family, I then dodged responsibility for that lie by saying that it wasn't a lie so much as an elaborate ruse, one we would admire if executed successfully on "Modern Family", for example. 

"Mom!  That is the most ridiculous thing to say.  I'm going to say that to you and see what you think."

Oh, crap, I'm thinking.  I'm done for.  My moral high ground, the ground I've so carefully cultivated, swept out from under me in less than a minute. 

Cursed New England winter.