The truth seeker

Your baby's brain is a Truth-Seeking mechanism. And it is this for one very simple reason: survival. If your baby does not know, on the gross level, that fire burns and that sharp things cut, and on the more finely tuned level the subtle aspects of the real world, its chances of survival are massively reduced. Your baby's brain is thus instinctively wired like a universal Sherlock Holmes, to hunt out the truth in order to increase its own chances of living successfully. 

He thus checks everything, including everything you the parent do, and sieves it through his massively powerful brain, checking, checking, checking with his logic, his senses and his intuition just how congruent you are...

This is why children (and indeed most adults) can bear all manner of destitution, pain and disability yet are still most hurt when someone does something that they consider unfair, or when they are cheated or lied to. 

Truth...is a complex affair that directly relates to consistency of message, discipline, behaviour and emotional stability.

- Tony Buzan

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I just read the above quoted passage a few days ago, and it was fascinating to see it played out in real life shortly after. 

P and I brought Christian and Calista out over the weekend.. we were walking along Orchard Rd when there was a loud VRRROOOOM thanks to a souped-up motorbike. Christian remarked that it was sooo loud and I immediately took the chance to 'brainwash' him into thinking that motorbikes are dangerous vehicles which he should never get onto (erm..this might be a case of double standards given my previous history of riding an ex-boyfriend's motorbike for a year+.. but Ch doesn't have to know that, does he? *wink*)

Anyway, I took the opportunity to make an easy, blanket statement "Motorbikes are BAAAAad". 

Christian repeated after me. Peter raised his eyebrows and gave me a half-smile (he knew what this over-protective mama was trying to do).. and tried to inject some subtlety and objectivity - 

"Not all motorbikes are bad.. only sometimes." 

Christian immediately pounced upon the inconsistency between Mama and Daddy and told Peter "Mama said motorbikes are bad.." Peter repeated his stance that not all motorbikes should be considered evil.

Christian then addressed me and said "Mama, all motorbikes are bad, right?" 

P: No not all.. 

Ch (calmly): I'm not talking to you, Daddy. I'm talking to Mama. 

Peter's and my eyes widen in surprise at his assertiveness and perseverance in seeking the truth.

Ch (nodding as he speaks): All motorbikes are bad, right, mama?

Me: Erm.. Well.. okay.. sometimes.. motorbikes are dangerous and bad for us, sometimes. 

Ch: Oh. (satisfied at reaching a satisfactory conclusion between the discrepancy between Mama's and Daddy's statements) Sometimes motorbikes are bad.