Trust, But Verify

Well...I think Abby and Caroline have finally reached the age when they don't believe everything I say anymore.  With the exception of a few certain holiday-related traditions, I've been truthful with them and even provided them detailed scientific explanations when requested.  Nevertheless, they are starting to trust me less -- at least when it comes to beverages. 

Abby drinks skim milk with breakfast, or at least she used to.  Caroline is lactose intolerant, so she drinks Lactaid milk at breakfast.  In glasses or plastic cups, Lactaid and skim milk look pretty much identical.  Maybe the skim milk is slightly more bluish, but mornings are kind of hectic here. That kind of small detail can get overlooked, and there have been a few unfortunate occasions when I've accidentally switched the glasses upon serving. Based on their overly dramatic reactions (screaming, gagging, weeping, etc.), there is a wee bit of a taste difference between the two products.

For a while there, Abby and Caroline were trying to get out of drinking their morning milk by saying I had switched the glasses.  Since I wasn't 100% sure, this strategy was successful.  I wouldn't want Caroline to have an unpleasant morning, after all.  Of course, Abby could drink either glass without any ramifications. At first this strategy was applied every once in a while -- so it was semi-believable.  Recently, however, they were telling me I had mixed up the milks at every meal, even when I knew that I had served correctly.

To thwart this apprach and increase calcium consumption, Scott and I have employed a new foolproof milk strategy at the house:  MILK VERIFICATION.  Prior to pouring any milk glasses, we will now hold the Lactaid/skim milk jug in front of appropriate child and say (in robotic voice), "Lactaid.  Verify."  In this case, Caroline is required to reply, "Lactaid. Verify."  Since she has now made eye contact with the appropriate beverage product, she can no longer wriggle out of drinking it.  Unless she just flat out refuses to drink it... 

Scott and I are having a lot of fun with the verification process and pretending to be robots and savoring our rare parental victory.  Abby and Caroline have submitted to this new process and reply very glumly and unenthusiastically.  I know they are scheming for a new approach.  But we will foil this too!  Ha-ha! 

After typing that last part, I'm starting to think maybe Ben's superhero shows are starting to affect me.