Causing Trouble

Yesterday, I got a phone call from my wife.

She was enjoying a peaceful morning at home when she realized the house was a little too quiet. Immediately, she went in search of our daughter (who inherited her father's genes and could easily start her own Talkaholics Anonymous blog).

As a result, silence in our house could mean several things.

1. My daughter is shredding something of value.
2. My daughter is applying lotion or some other liquid all over the place, requiring several hours of clean up.
3. My daughter is using a permanent marker to decorate something that will also require several hours of clean up.
4. My daughter is taking all of her toys and relocating them to various nooks and crannies around the house.

(Notice that not one of the options includes her peacefully falling asleep on her bed or calmly sitting and watching a movie. These do not exist.)

As my wife started to look, she called my daughter's name and asked, "Are you causing any trouble?"

My daughter immediately responded, "Yes."

It was then, that my wife found her standing in our bathroom sink with a tube of lipstick. She had already coated her entire face and arms and was at that moment working on a fresh coat for the mirror.

Based on her complete willingness to admit guilt, there are (as I see it) two possibilities:

1. My daughter doesn't understand that we actually have rules in our house that she needs to follow.
2. My daughter is blatantly honest and doesn't care about the consequences of her actions.