Children can definitely misconstrue the things we say, and they can also tell fibs to gain attention from their parents. I've had both of these things happen.

I have one very picky eater, that never eats anything and both her and her parents are obssessed about food. How much she consumes, what she is offered, etc. When the kids are asking me for help with something, and I am obviously busy (changing diaper, cooking) I often say, "I'm not an octopus, I only have two arms." The kids think it's hysterical and I encourage them to observe when my two arms are busy. As it turns out, this picky eater asked me what I was making for lunch (if it's not chic. nuggets she will pout), at the exact same time I was informing another child of my non-octopus status. I got a call that evening from a very concerned parent to share that picky eater was upset because I was making the kids eat octopus.

Obviously, it was a misunderstanding. We ate sandwiches for lunch. But I was shocked that a parent would phrase this type of misunderstanding in the form of an accusation. Peoples insecurities and issues can be deflected onto a provider in such a way, that it puts both parties in such an awkward position. It usually doesn't take long for me to figure out what type of "issues" a parent has. Poop issues. Sleep issues. If we only shared HALF of the things kids say about what goes on at home, the tables would be turned.

My response to the ridiculous accusation that I was feeding octopus arms to the children?? "Don't worry DCM, lucky for DCK we only serve octopus on Fridays when DCK is not here."

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