"I didn't mean to......."

Look at the sweet, innocent, little face! Doesn't he look cute?

Now, read the title of this post. I hear that at least 15 times a day. It often comes out as, "I didn't mean to. It was an accident." It's usually an excuse for something that obviously was not an accident. For example, five minutes ago in the kitchen, this took place:

I told my son to stop messing with the stool while I got him some milk. The stool was hurled at me.

Me: "You did that on purpose!"

Quincy: "Yes"

Me: "Well, at least you were honest about it this time."

Quincy: "I didn't mean to. It was an accident."

Uh huh. I still got him his milk and nuts.

Sometimes these lovely sentences are followed by phrases like:

"I peed on your floor"

"I split your water"

"I dropped my lunch"

"I flushed a small car down the potty"

The excuse making starts early, doesn't it????