My oldest daughter and son were upstairs playing. They were very young. I overheard my daughter in a loud whisper saying to her brother, “Don’t tell mom or dad.” I was going upstairs at the time, so I asked them what they didn’t need to tell me. I quickly saw that a cup from my daughter’s tea set had gotten broken. I asked her if she broke the cup. She replied “No”. I turned to my son and asked him if he broke the cup. I could see the wheels turning in his head. He was thinking about what to say. It seemed like he was deciding whether to tell the truth. His sister had said no, and she didn’t get in trouble. If he said no, he shouldn’t get in trouble either. When he responded to me, he confidently said “No!” His tone emphasized that he had given great consideration to the question before he answered. It expressed confidence in his answer, and I should have no doubt that it was true. It also seemed like this was the point that my son realized for the first time that he could lie and get away with it.