I Never Said That

We have been working on using kind language toward each other in our family.  The other day Seth ran into the house to tell me and Daniel that Paul said that Seth was stupid.  Do I like the tattle-tale?  No.  Did I want to deal with it?  No.  A minute later Paul came in the house (Seth had left the kitchen at this point).  It is always nice when the kids come to you instead of me having to chase them down to talk to them about an infraction.  This is how the conversation went:

Daniel: Paul, did you tell Seth that he was stupid?
Paul: No, I never said that.
Me: Seth was just in here and said that you called him stupid.  Why would he say that?
Paul: (rolling eyes) I never said that.
Daniel: What were you two doing out there, were you fighting or having a disagreement?
Paul: No, we were just playing in the sandbox.
Daniel: What were you doing or saying that would make Seth think that you said that he was stupid?
Paul: Nothing, we were just talking.
Me: What were you talking about.
Paul: Seth asked me if I thought that he was dumb and I said yes. 

We had to explain that Seth most likely asked the question because he didn't like the way that Paul was treating him.  It was a question that shouldn't have been asked, but it definitely should not have been answered with a yes.  Big brothers can be quite a challenge sometimes!