Tattling ... Nothing Gets on my Nerves More than Tattle Tales

My daughter keeps trying to turn into a tattle tale and its like nails on a chalk board to me. Every time I hear, "Mom (her brother) is (doing something)," my blood boils. Thing is, when is it tattling and when is it not and how can I teach her the difference?



I don't want her telling me stuff just to get her brother in trouble but at the same time I want to make sure she tells me stuff that is important for me to know about. The difference between her brother not doing something I asked him to do and her brother doing something dangerous I need to be aware of. How can a little girl be expected to know the difference?



I ask her what her purpose in telling me something was... ya she doesn't always get what I mean but maybe if I keep repeating myself she'll get it..... Are you telling me because you want him to get into trouble or because he's gonna get hurt or break something?



Some things I need to know about regardless of whether a child will get hurt or break something. Some times tattling is OK and other times it's not.... teaching the difference is the hard part.