Sign of intelligence. Either that or all that on-demand love I gave really did result in a sneaky, manipulative child. With Liebling, it is things such as lies about his day like he learnt how to fly at school (with a "sneaky" look on his face) or that he hasn't eaten biscuits etc. The stories are fine as that's imagination and we build on it, then I let him know it's pretend by asking what he did in class rather than at break. With a lie to get what he wants, I won't play and he doesn't get what he wants.

We also get tantrums when he doesn't get his own way. I laugh at him and say how ridiculous he looks. He often chooses to put himself on time-out at this point, so I can't laugh at him. He sits and pouts and huffs, but I am not allowed to laugh because he's on time out.

The melodrama and hiding stuff has stopped, I am pleased to say. Unless we're playing at melodrama, when I give as good as I get.