Who stole the Cookie?

When we get home after picking Aaron up from school the first thing we do is hang up our jackets and backpacks. Aaron is usually the quickest.

After helping the others, I walked up to our living room to see Aaron hiding in a corner, hunched behind a chair. Curious, I asked him what he was hiding. He ignored me. I insisted he stand up and answer me. He stood up, but refused to answer, and I could see his cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk. Clearly, he had stolen some goodie from the kitchen.

I asked again, "What are you eating?"

Defiantly, he refused to answer.

I put him in Time Out. After swallowing, he finally told me it was a leftover cookie from lunch.

I then asked him why he hadn't eaten it at school. He wouldn't answer.

Phone rings. It's Matt. I told him what was going on and he informed me that he hadn't put a cookie in his lunch today because he had Easter Candy instead.

I confronted Aaron with his lie.

His response: "You're just not listening, Mom. What you don't realize is that I got confused when I said it was a cookie... I really meant to say that it was my leftover chocolate egg from lunch..."
(That's his exact quote!)

By now I'm thinking, "Nice Try, Buddy."

I give him the MOM GLARE, insinuating that I find his story fishy.

He caves under the stare. "Actually, Mom. It was a cookie from the kitchen. I can't ever tell you the truth, because then I get in trouble."

I told him I was more upset that he lied to me. TWICE.

He told me that lying isn't as bad as stealing.

He then told me that I just gave him no choice. He needed the cookie, and he had to lie to get it.

I had a harried "Mom Moment" where I just looked at my son and thought, where did you EVER get that idea? And then we had a talk about stealing and honesty.

I'm not sure he really gets it, though. (Sigh.) I'm not ready to deal with an evasive, manipulative child. When did my baby grow up- and how do I get him back?