Tonight before we went to the new house to clean I made a rule that cell phones needed to remain in the car and there would be no texting or going online until we were FINISHED in the house.

At one point I looked outside and saw Middle Boy with his phone.  I told him to come inside and tell me what he was doing.  I got a kooky story about Verizon texting him and a telemarketer calling him.  I told him I would accept the story, but when I got to work tomorrow I was going to verify it online.

Younger Boy and I left the house to take a load of stuff back to the new house and left Middle Boy to finish up.

When we got back he told me he needed to "come clean".  He needed to tell me that he had been texting when I had asked him not to.  I thanked him for coming clean, but there are still consequences associated with not following the rules.

I am actually proud of him for coming clean.  In the past he would have fought to the death that he was not lying even when I could prove otherwise.  Believe it or not...this is HUGE for us.

Praises for steps forward...no matter how small.