Tattle-tale

On the way home from church this afternoon (a change now that we go from 8:30-11:30 instead of 2:30-5:30!) Tyson, with the usual tattle-tale voice that all kids use, said, "Mo-om, Caden has gu-um!"  I asked him why he was telling on Caden, was he was hurt, maimed, or dying?  I was telling him, for the millionth time at least, that we don't tattle one someone unless they need help or will need help if they continue.  He was having none of it.  Keilie was trying to tell him some examples of when it is alright to tattle, when he says in the same voice, "Mo-om, Keilie is telling me not to tattle!"  This got me chuckling.  I was trying to tell him that I was done with the voice and didn't want to hear tattles unless it was life-or-death. 

"Well, how do I tell on someone then?"

He was SO perplexed!!  How do you tell on someone when your mom and dad don't want to hear it?  One of life's most complex questions.  To a four-year-old at least.