Cry Wolf

Aesop’s fable is about a lonely shepherd boy who cried wolf when there was not one there in order to relieve his boredom and attract attention. At school, I recall this tale was told as a reminder not to cause unnecessary alarm just for fun or attention but I also thought it implied that grown ups should not automatically dismiss children just because they have a tendency to exaggerate or even lie.

Now I am a parent I try to bear the lessons from this tale in mind, although it is not always easy. Recently I was walking with my 3 and 4 year old sons, our baby in a pram and the dog. It's quite an expedition on your own and my 3 year old, G, was playing up badly.
"I’m tired, there's something in my shoe, pick me up Daddy." This whinging is generally his way of seeking attention. Each time he complained of something in his sandal I stopped to check only to be told:
"Only teasing, Daddy." At the fifth time of asking I nearly did not check but, mindful of the fable, I parked the pram, tied the dog called my elder son close and got down on my hands and knees again to look in his sandal. There was an ugly piece of glass sticking through the sole of my son’s sandal and it had pierced the skin causing a tiny trickle of blood.

The thought that I nearly did not look still makes me shudder.