Confessions of a Tattle Tale

Confessions of a Tattle Tale

photo credit: christopher frier brown

“Tattle tale, tattle tale..Karen is a tattle tale” … I heard this many a day from my six siblings while growing up in a large middle-class family.  As the family tattle-tale, I had my nose in everyone’s business and couldn’t wait to run to Mom with all the details.  Of course, this didn’t make me very popular with my brothers and sisters.

Fortunately, Mom was a very wise woman who realized my need to feel important.  Tattling wasn’t about getting my siblings in trouble, well not completely, that was only a bonus,  my real reasons for tattling were to get my Mother’s attention.  The goal was to be her “right-hand girl”.

With her Mommy instincts ramped-up to above average,  Mom realized this weakness in me and turned it into a strength.

So exactly how did she solve the tattle tale dilemma?

By setting this one rule.. I could only tattle “good stuff”.  That meant  only telling on my siblings when they were doing something “right”.   Things like.. “Mom.. Darlene is sharing her coke with Jim and John and she is even giving them the most!”  or “I saw Butch outside helping Tracy’s Dad clean up his yard”.

I became a pro at spotting my brothers and sisters doing good and making sure I was the first to tell Mom.  Of course, my brothers and sisters wanted to tell Mom for themselves but they were at least grateful  that I wasn’t reporting the negative news.

Do you have a little tattle tale?  Try encouraging them to spread the “good news”.

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