PARENTS: You don't lie to your kids ... do you?March 30, 2010
If you say you never lie to your kids, you're probably not telling the truth.
From the Easter Bunny to spinach to death, we lie about all sorts of things to give our kids a sense of wonder, encourage them to try different foods and protect them from harsh reality.
I am no exception. Although I avoid some of the whoppers my parents told me - "If you swallow gum it will stick in your stomach," and "If you make a face it will get stuck and stay that way" - I still find little white lies slipping out of my mouth.
Some lies we justify as being for our kid's own good. Food lies fall in this category. I'm the queen of the food lie.
"Eating carrots will make you see better." "Those aren't mushrooms, those are noodles." "We're all out of candy."
I got my son to eat cauliflower by telling him it was "white broccoli" and I can get him to try just about any light colored meat if I tell him it's chicken or turkey.
There are the lies I tell to avoid an unpleasant situation.
Anyone who's been to McDonalds knows how those junky little Happy Meal toys pile up. Periodically I clean out the toy box and toss the older ones. Every once in a while he decides to dig one out.
"It's around here somewhere, I'm sure we'll find it later," I say without missing a beat.
"It broke" is the fib I tell after tossing an old toy he stopped playing with or the balloon that lingered too long in the corner.
Some lies are to protect your child or avoid topics you're not ready to deal with.
When I took my son to a play about a troupe of teenage actors, to my surprise, there was a scene in which the older woman director got amorous with one of the teenagers. Frowning my son turned to me and asked "Are they married?" "Yes" I said without a second thought.
And then there are the harmless lies we tell to make kids feel good and encourage them.
"That song sounded beautiful." "Your drawing looks just like a (fill in the blank)." "You did better than you did last time."
One lie has even become such a standard, that it's more of a joke than a real lie. I've said it to my son, but always with tongue-in-cheek.
"When I was kid I used to walk to school through six feet of snow, uphill, both ways!"
What are your white lies?Linkback:
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