Should you lie to your kids?

[Persia]

Julia Obst doesn't have a problem with it. In fact, she's started a blog all about the lies she's told her daughter called "Lies I Tell My Daughter."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500188_162-57336148/should-you-lie-to-your-kids-why-one-mom-does/

[_Only]

She's using lies as lazy parenting.

[Bendy Demon]

Well...I think we all tell small lies to kids from time to time but to actually brag about it is quite another thing entirely.

However if one makes it a constant habit to tell their kids lies and the kid eventually discovers this then why should they feel compelled to ever take anything the parent tells them as truth?

[Druidus-Logos]

I'm in favour of telling my future children the FACTS of reality, and not the fallacies. I'd rather they be adept at dealing with the world as it is, rather then at dealing with whatever lies I happen to be spouting at any particular time.

As a child, I was quite bright, and was always quite offended by adults who treated me or gave me short shrift, lies, verbal misdirections, falsehoods, and any other synonymous terms you like. It's not like we didn't already know or figure it out without too much difficulty; it's condescending and inspires an attitude of distrust between offspring and parents.

If a child is old enough to ASK a question, the child is old enough to understand the answer. I don't encourage ignorance, and avoiding reality with these lies is just that.

EDIT: Seriously, I think this "style" of parenting is absolutely likely to be damaging to the psych. and emotionaly health of the child; and I say this knowing that it would have been for me. Luckily, I had parents who told me how reality really worked (if they knew the answers), and I only developed these feelings (not to a serious degree) with other relatives who persisted in thinking they could/should fool me with false interpretations of reality.

Edited December 3, 2011 by Druidus-Logos

[Beckys_Mom]

From the article.........

Obst has told such mistruths as, "We can't put your window down. It's broken!"; "If you eat shrimp, you'll become a better swimmer"; and "If you don't get back into bed, I will call the gate guy and he will put a gate on your door and you will only be able to get out in the morning!"

I see nothing wrong with that at all... I do the exact same to Becky.... I tell her - if she doesn't do good at school, santa will not come, if he does, he will leave her a band aid and a lump of coal.... She does good at school

I tell her - If you don't eve clean your room, the tooth fairy will never enter your room at night to give you money, they hate untidy rooms Becky.. the cleaner your room each day, the better it will be - Becky cleans her room regularly.. more so now her baby teeth are shakey

I tell her - That eating her veg will help her be healthy AND make her hair glow so she will have princess hair........ So....Becky will eat the veg that she thinks will do that

I tell her - If she keeps frowning or pulling silly faces at others, one day the wind will blow hard and make her face stay that way............. She isn't too keen on face pulling as much ...now and again she may but I remind her how windy it can get...

I tell her - That when kids say bad words or call names ....then God informs Santa along with the tooth fairy and those kids never get anything... I even make up stories about how it happened to my sister long ago, the tragic Christmas morning and on her birthday no one wanted to come to her party... come Easter no eggs... my sister was all alone... do you ever want to be like that?..........................NO... oh no no no.... You will not hear her call names to anyone nor will she use any potty mouth

I tell her load of things... they do work.. and it is a heck of a lot better than hitting her.... When she fears doing things wrong or not wanting to eat right.....I tell her a story.. More so to help her do well in school. .and my word that kid has yet to get a negative comment from her teachers regarding school work

Parents have been known to tell these little porkies... Kids as they grow find out their parents were just making it all up... it does NO harm to them... It did me no harm.... the amount of made up stories my mom told me to get me to behave... worked... I know now she was doing for the greater good.....

....We all learned reality as we got a little older...my parents taught me reality and how things were... my own kid is only 6 yrs old now.. she is aware of reality....she will not run off in front of cars or touch dangerous things... but the little lies about how having a messy room will prevent the tooth fairy is HARMLESS.... anyone saying these things can harm a child must have NO CLUE and OVER REACT... which to me is more harmful... it is never good to over react

Edited December 3, 2011 by Beckys_Mom

[Beckys_Mom]

EDIT: Seriously, I think this "style" of parenting is absolutely likely to be damaging to the psych. and emotionaly health of the child;

I think you have over reacted ...I grew up learning about reality just fine... But my own mother told be little fibs to keep me right... Like to help me want to do better .. I was very young.. and when I grew as old as 8 , 9 and 10.. I was more aware of the reality... I grew up with a healthy keen mind and nothing my mother did harmed me.......I have a happy go lucky kid at just 6yrs and you would not think she was damaged ..... So your statement is over the top

[Druidus-Logos]

From the article.........

I see nothing wrong with that at all... I do the exact same to Becky.... I tell her - if she doesn't do good at school, santa will not come, if he does, he will leave her a band aid and a lump of coal.... She does good at school

I tell her - If you don't eve clean your room, the tooth fairy will never enter your room at night to give you money, they hate untidy rooms Becky.. the cleaner your room each day, the better it will be - Becky cleans her room regularly.. more so now her baby teeth are shakey

I tell her - That eating her veg will help her be healthy AND make her hair glow so she will have princess hair........ So....Becky will eat the veg that she thinks will do that

I tell her - If she keeps frowning or pulling silly faces at others, one day the wind will blow hard and make her face stay that way............. She isn't too keen on face pulling as much ...now and again she may but I remind her how windy it can get...

I tell her - That when kids say bad words or call names ....then God informs Santa along with the tooth fairy and those kids never get anything... I even make up stories about how it happened to my sister long ago, the tragic Christmas morning and on her birthday no one wanted to come to her party... come Easter no eggs... my sister was all alone... do you ever want to be like that?..........................NO... oh no no no.... You will not hear her call names to anyone nor will she use any potty mouth

I tell her load of things... they do work.. and it is a heck of a lot better than hitting her.... When she fears doing things wrong or not wanting to eat right.....I tell her a story.. More so to help her do well in school. .and my word that kid has yet to get a negative comment from her teachers regarding school work

Parents have been known to tell these little porkies... Kids as they grow find out their parents were just making it all up... it does NO harm to them... It did me no harm.... the amount of made up stories my mom told me to get me to behave... worked... I know now she was doing for the greater good.....

....We all learned reality as we got a little older...my parents taught me reality and how things were... my own kid is only 6 yrs old now.. she is aware of reality....she will not run off in front of cars or touch dangerous things... but the little lies about how having a messy room will prevent the tooth fairy is HARMLESS.... anyone saying these things can harm a child must have NO CLUE and OVER REACT... which to me is more harmful... it is never good to over react

This all may be well and good for your children, but I appreciated the honesty of my parents in most topics, and respected their allowing me to explore whatever I was curious about truthfully and without censorship. I'm just saying, the truth isn't necessarily traumatic to all children; and children like me really, honestly, sincerely would have felt, if not hurt at the lie itself immediately, then hurt later on when I discovered the mistruths.

I like knowledge and facts; I feel their free dissemination is important to a child.

Clearly I am not talking about toddlers or children of more sensitive or lie-tolerant (for lack of a better word) disposition; I realize all children are individuals. But I can only go by my own logic and past experiences, and I never once ended up thanking an adult who lied to me about anything.

[Beckys_Mom]

This all may be well and good for your children, but I appreciated the honesty of my parents in most topics, and respected their allowing me to explore whatever I was curious about truthfully and without censorship.

I only have one child who only turned 6 yrs old.. and I have another one on the way. and how I deal with my child is my business.. If it works.. then I will do it... And do not EVER assume I do not teach her reality.. I do... More so when I see her doing something I KNOW is dangerous...I teach her the dangers that can happen for real... When she is a year or two older .. I will ease her into more reality.. But there are some things for little kids her age should not know... at least not yet

So never assume you know what is best for other parents and their kids... I was raised good and well and taught reality too but the tiny tales my mom fed me at the age of 3, 4, 5 & 6 yrs was HARMLESS... I could never hold anything against her... Becky I forget most of the fibs my mother told me... Most kids will forget... In fact Becky forgets some of the things I have told her.... I know she will forget many... She is a happy child and it will STAY that way.. ..I am a parent and I know what works for me and my kid

Clearly I am not talking about toddlers or children of more sensitive or lie-tolerant

I am.. and thats only when my own mother did it too... when I was so very little ... I don't recall most of it... Obviously didnt do that much harm

Becky will learn within a year or more there are no tooth fairies or Santa... until then she will enjoy her child hood

Edited December 3, 2011 by Beckys_Mom

[Druidus-Logos]

I think you have over reacted ...I grew up learning about reality just fine... But my own mother told be little fibs to keep me right... Like to help me want to do better .. I was very young.. and when I grew as old as 8 , 9 and 10.. I was more aware of the reality... I grew up with a healthy keen mind and nothing my mother did harmed me.......I have a happy go lucky kid at just 6yrs and you would not think she was damaged ..... So your statement is over the top

Perhaps, but, and this is the third time I'll state in this hour, I'm on two days sleep deprivation right now, so sorry if I seemed to overreact.

But honestly, while you may have been different, I really am sure that common (especially common) unnecessary lies would have been detrimental to me. In my last post I said it might not be like this for everyone, but trust me, it was for me. I don't like instilling a reliance on fantasy to control mine or my child's actions, I prefer to instill logic in all curiosities, to give reasons for WHY things are a certain way. Even at an early age, I felt distaste when I heard arguments from authority meant to be taken as true for the simple reason of said authority. I ended up trusting my parents for most things, because they seemed to get this about me and consistently told me the truth. That said, I was constantly verifying the validity of things other relatives said to me, as I was aware of their track record of lying (even if for a "good" reason) to me. Perhaps I was just more aware of and/or sensitive to lies than most, I don't know, but I know how strongly I felt.

[Beckys_Mom]

Perhaps, but, and this is the third time I'll state in this hour, I'm on two days sleep deprivation right now, so sorry if I seemed to overreact.

But honestly, while you may have been different, I really am sure that common (especially common) unnecessary lies would have been detrimental to me. In my last post I said it might not be like this for everyone, but trust me, it was for me. I don't like instilling a reliance on fantasy to control mine or my child's actions, I prefer to instill logic in all curiosities, to give reasons for WHY things are a certain way. Even at an early age, I felt distaste when I heard arguments from authority meant to be taken as true for the simple reason of said authority. I ended up trusting my parents for most things, because they seemed to get this about me and consistently told me the truth. That said, I was constantly verifying the validity of things other relatives said to me, as I was aware of their track record of lying (even if for a "good" reason) to me. Perhaps I was just more aware of and/or sensitive to lies than most, I don't know, but I know how strongly I felt.

I agree teaching reality is good.. I only will do it when I suspect she will go near things that are dangerous.... I teach her the value of money and how to take care of herself.... I teach her how important education is.... But the silly things like Santa and how eating veg will give her princess hair... Well I did that because, telling her veg and fruit are good for you.. she didn't take to it... But because I know she is into fairy princess... I thought HELLO- It gives you princess hair...and now she will take some fruit and a little veg...

I forgotten most of the silly tales my mother told me, and for some I laughed them off... But reality was always taught...Silly stories about Santa and the toothfairy will not last.. it's part of growing up

[Sakari]

Lying to children teaches them that the World is just a great, peaceful, happy, get whatever you want for nothing, never get let down, never fail, never pay for your mistakes, do not have to work for anything, cry to get what you want, everyone is nice, nothing will hurt you, no one can tell you what to do, laws mean nothing place.......( and more )

This is what is ruining people.....

Pussification of America

[Druidus-Logos]

I only have one child who only turned 6 yrs old.. and I have another one on the way. and how I deal with my child is my business.. If it works.. then I will do it... And do not EVER assume I do not teach her reality.. I do... More so when I see her doing something I KNOW is dangerous...I teach her the dangers that can happen for real... When she is a year or two older .. I will ease her into more reality.. But there are some things for little kids her age should not know... at least not yet

Look, I'm not trying to personally attack your parenting style, but if yours is your business and you can state your opinion on it, why can't I suggest that mine is my business too; that my opinion is just as important to me as yours is to you?

So never assume you know what is best for other parents and their kids... I was raised good and well and taught reality too but the tiny tales my mom fed me at the age of 3, 4, 5 & 6 yrs was HARMLESS... I could never hold anything against her... Becky I forget most of the fibs my mother told me... Most kids will forget... In fact Becky forgets some of the things I have told her.... I know she will forget many... She is a happy child and it will STAY that way.. ..I am a parent and I know what works for me and my kid

I am.. and thats only when my own mother did it too... when I was so very little ... I don't recall most of it... Obviously didnt do that much harm

Becky will learn within a year or more there are no tooth fairies or Santa... until then she will enjoy her child hood

Again, I'm not claiming you've got some sort of subpar parenting skills or that your child is unhappy. I'm only stating that lies, even simple and good-natured ones, were always somewhat hurtful to me, and, after the age I started reading different encyclopaedia sets (3-4.5 - early reader) and relentlessly questioning of my world, I remember valuing those who answered my queries higher simply due to the fact that I wasn't obliged to constantly verify what I was told (hence I liked my parents for my curiosities rather than my grandparents, uncles, or aunts; I KNEW I was getting the truth and not being condescended to or misinformed because I wasn't "old enough" when I was already engaged in a natural study of the world).

You have your beliefs about parenting, and that's fine. I have mine. I can only base mine on my own childhood experience and assume that the half of my genes I do transfer to my offspring cause them to have similar views on the acquisition of knowledge.

Clearly, I wouldn't denigrate you or your child for having a different perspective on what is and is not a harmful "white lie". We just differ in style and that's ok, as long as your child is happy with it, and from what you say I'm sure she is. I just wasn't, I resented lies, even at an early age, and that's just me. It differs for the child, is all I'm saying. All children are not yours, as they are not me similarly.

[Druidus-Logos]

I agree teaching reality is good.. I only will do it when I suspect she will go near things that are dangerous.... I teach her the value of money and how to take care of herself.... I teach her how important education is.... But the silly things like Santa and how eating veg will give her princess hair... Well I did that because, telling her veg and fruit are good for you.. she didn't take to it... But because I know she is into fairy princess... I thought HELLO- It gives you princess hair...and now she will take some fruit and a little veg...

I forgotten most of the silly tales my mother told me, and for some I laughed them off... But reality was always taught...Silly stories about Santa and the toothfairy will not last.. it's part of growing up

I get you, and I'll even concede that you're right about dangerous situations; lies can be warranted if the child is incapable of acting safely due to age. And lies like Santa or the Tooth Fairy I tolerated because they pleased my parents, it was apparent to me at a young age that these were impossibilities. As such, I was not concerned with them. But I didn't appreciate lies where I was actually interested in the answer and had applied the query myself. I mostly was offended by lies because they were generally gross underestimations of my mental maturity.

[Beckys_Mom]

Lying to children teaches them that the World is just a great, peaceful, happy, get whatever you want for nothing, never get let down, never fail, never pay for your mistakes, do not have to work for anything, cry to get what you want, everyone is nice, nothing will hurt you, no one can tell you what to do, laws mean nothing place.......( and more )

This is what is ruining people.....

Pussification of America

The article I don't think state that...

Well it is very wrong for anyone to tell their kids that everything in the real word is peaceful, happy and nothing goes wrong... If I did that, goodness knows what would happen to my kid... Sometimes she would watch news reports and reality hospital shows., and would ask me why is those children hurt and in hospital... I tell her why and tell her of how dangerous so many things can be if no care is taken....... She saw a burned victim once and thought it was awful... I told her that is why going near fire or playing with with can be harmful... things like that can and will happen...The bottom line is to teach them the dangers and teach them howto avoid doing stupid things that can land them in hot water...

[95-Nasty]

If a white lie is a lie? Then, yes i lie to my children!

They are 6, 3 and 6 months.

I tell them about Santa, tooth fairy, easter bunny, god (all the good/ nice people) etc. I was brought up on it all, belived everything, as i grew older i gradually understood it, and the reasons behind it. Kids need to be kids for as long as possible. They grow up too fast these days, they miss out their child hood, innonce! society seems to dictate their future!

I want my kids to be kids.

[JGirl]

From the article.........

I see nothing wrong with that at all... I do the exact same to Becky.... I tell her - if she doesn't do good at school, santa will not come, if he does, he will leave her a band aid and a lump of coal.... She does good at school

I tell her - If you don't eve clean your room, the tooth fairy will never enter your room at night to give you money, they hate untidy rooms Becky.. the cleaner your room each day, the better it will be - Becky cleans her room regularly.. more so now her baby teeth are shakey

I tell her - That eating her veg will help her be healthy AND make her hair glow so she will have princess hair........ So....Becky will eat the veg that she thinks will do that

I tell her - If she keeps frowning or pulling silly faces at others, one day the wind will blow hard and make her face stay that way............. She isn't too keen on face pulling as much ...now and again she may but I remind her how windy it can get...

I tell her - That when kids say bad words or call names ....then God informs Santa along with the tooth fairy and those kids never get anything... I even make up stories about how it happened to my sister long ago, the tragic Christmas morning and on her birthday no one wanted to come to her party... come Easter no eggs... my sister was all alone... do you ever want to be like that?..........................NO... oh no no no.... You will not hear her call names to anyone nor will she use any potty mouth

I tell her load of things... they do work.. and it is a heck of a lot better than hitting her.... When she fears doing things wrong or not wanting to eat right.....I tell her a story.. More so to help her do well in school. .and my word that kid has yet to get a negative comment from her teachers regarding school work

Parents have been known to tell these little porkies... Kids as they grow find out their parents were just making it all up... it does NO harm to them... It did me no harm.... the amount of made up stories my mom told me to get me to behave... worked... I know now she was doing for the greater good.....

....We all learned reality as we got a little older...my parents taught me reality and how things were... my own kid is only 6 yrs old now.. she is aware of reality....she will not run off in front of cars or touch dangerous things... but the little lies about how having a messy room will prevent the tooth fairy is HARMLESS.... anyone saying these things can harm a child must have NO CLUE and OVER REACT... which to me is more harmful... it is never good to over react

you reminded of when my dad used to tell us we had to eat our crusts because it would put hair on our chests. i don't think he realized that wasn't going to work for the girl kids lol

[Beckys_Mom]

Look, I'm not trying to personally attack your parenting style, but if yours is your business and you can state your opinion on it, why can't I suggest that mine is my business too; that my opinion is just as important to me as yours is to you?

OK well I am glad you aren't...but you did address my 1st post I made in this topic, so I felt you were getting at my own style.....You are every bit entitled to say how you feel.. but when you pulled up my post the 1st one I made... I did feel you were getting at me... sorry

I'm only stating that lies, even simple and good-natured ones, were always somewhat hurtful to me, and, after the age I started reading different encyclopaedia sets (3-4.5 - early reader) and relentlessly questioning of my world, I remember valuing those who answered my queries higher simply due to the fact that I wasn't obliged to constantly verify what I was told (hence I liked my parents for my curiosities rather than my grandparents, uncles, or aunts; I KNEW I was getting the truth and not being condescended to or misinformed because I wasn't "old enough" when I was already engaged in a natural study of the world).You have your beliefs about parenting, and that's fine. I have mine. I can only base mine on my own childhood experience and assume that the half of my genes I do transfer to my offspring cause them to have similar views on the acquisition of knowledge.

Clearly, I wouldn't denigrate you or your child for having a different perspective on what is and is not a harmful "white lie". We just differ in style and that's ok, as long as your child is happy with it, and from what you say I'm sure she is. I just wasn't, I resented lies, even at an early age, and that's just me. It differs for the child, is all I'm saying. All children are not yours, as they are not me similarly.

I see where you are coming from, I guess it is how a child will perceive it later on.... You resented it at an early age... I saw no harm in it.. lies about Santa ect I knew soon enough were just tales parents tell

Teaching the dangers and the consequences of how things are in the real world are VERY important..........

Quickly tell you what I mean....

A guy on line told me ( not that long ago) I should allow my kid to stand up on the roof and see if she can fly like superman... He expressed how sad he felt when I spoke of how I would not allow her to do such things... He didn't take it too well when he suspected I prevented her from having a wild imagination..... And because I stressed that this world is full of the dangers and children's should be taught how to look after themselves if faced with anything troubling ect... He told me how terrible I was for teaching her that the world can be a dangerous place... He does NOT believe the world has dangers and he doesn't believe in people who suffer in pain.... Frankly I find his idea out of whack......... I want my kid to know ALL of it..reality as we know it...I dont put her in a position that she should fear everything.. I teach her there is good and bad in this world... trick is to be careful when you sense danger

My little girl has her heart set on being a doctor...I teach her that the only sure way to get there is to work really hard....and stick with school do all what the teachers tell you and always knuckle down, never be afraid to ask questions ect...I never can ignore what is best for her

She is also aware that with good behaviour , gets good rewards... Bad behaviour faces punishment...As she grows, so will her wisdom

Edited December 3, 2011 by Beckys_Mom

[Beckys_Mom]

you reminded of when my dad used to tell us we had to eat our crusts because it would put hair on our chests. i don't think he realized that wasn't going to work for the girl kids lol

Ha ha My dad told me that if I eat good cheese it will put hairs on my chest.... I never ate it for years.. I was not going to want hairs on my chest LOL

Where do they get this hairs on the chest from?

My dad once told me that he grew up living in a crack in the wall...I sucked that in big time... went around looking at wall cracks to see if I could spot any tiny families

[Beckys_Mom]

I get you, and I'll even concede that you're right about dangerous situations; lies can be warranted if the child is incapable of acting safely due to age. And lies like Santa or the Tooth Fairy I tolerated because they pleased my parents, it was apparent to me at a young age that these were impossibilities. As such, I was not concerned with them. But I didn't appreciate lies where I was actually interested in the answer and had applied the query myself. I mostly was offended by lies because they were generally gross underestimations of my mental maturity.

They pleased your parents because your parents knew the importance of a child hood as well as everything else.... I found out the truth at just 5yrs old... I caught my dad putting the presents out...Didnt bother me.. but he begged me NOT to go telling my little brother...

Becky will be at least 8yrs old when she will find there is not Santa...or the toothfairy... For now I will let her enjoy it.. ...She may figure it our before that... because she once came to me saying - Mommy, God cannot be real.............I said why is that? She said.. because, I cannot see him, hear or smell him.. so he can't be real.. She said this at just 5 .........I was speechless at the time and thought, it wont be long before she tells me santy clause is not real ... She could save me the job of telling her

Edited December 3, 2011 by Beckys_Mom

[_Only]

If a white lie is a lie? Then, yes i lie to my children!

They are 6, 3 and 6 months.

I tell them about Santa, tooth fairy, easter bunny, god (all the good/ nice people) etc. I was brought up on it all, belived everything, as i grew older i gradually understood it, and the reasons behind it. Kids need to be kids for as long as possible. They grow up too fast these days, they miss out their child hood, innonce! society seems to dictate their future!

I want my kids to be kids.

They can be kids, but also can learn reasoning behind what they should and shouldn't do. Never too early to learn, especially when your brain is in hyper-learning mode while it's growing. Best time to learn; misinformation with lies is a waste of space. A filler until they eventually learn the truth. Just lazy parenting. If information intrudes on them being a kid, that's when you just say "you don't wanna know".

So many stick to the fantasies and lies because it's how they were raised, how their parents were raised, their parents parents, etc. Time to progress a bit.

[Purplos]

I find no harm in traditional lies like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, and some white lies disguised as tact (just as you'd never tell a woman, "Yes, your butt looks huge in that!" if she asks.), but I don't see the point in things like "If you eat shrimp, you'll be a better swimmer" and telling someone their face will stick if they make a face at someone. Eat your shrimp because it's protein and a healthy part of a diet. Don't make faces at someone because you may hurt their feelings.

I've always answered my kids' questions as honestly as I could, which sometimes leads to people staring at you with horrified expressions on their face when they overhear you. Maybe 'cause I always viewed my kids more as adults in training, rather than kids. Shrug.

[95-Nasty]

They can be kids, but also can learn reasoning behind what they should and shouldn't do. Never too early to learn, especially when your brain is in hyper-learning mode while it's growing. Best time to learn; misinformation with lies is a waste of space. A filler until they eventually learn the truth. Just lazy parenting. If information intrudes on them being a kid, that's when you just say "you don't wanna know".

So many stick to the fantasies and lies because it's how they were raised, how their parents were raised, their parents parents, etc. Time to progress a bit.

I was brought up the same way, your right 'its how they were raised, how their parents were raised, their parents parents etc' But its done me no harm, ive a good job, great wife, great kids, own my own home, money in the bank and im only 32! My way of thinking, kids grow up too fast, society seems to dictate it, encourage it! Wheres the inonce gone? wherse the child hood gone? Back in my day you didnt have gangs of kids weilding guns and knives. We did play outside as kids!

[Druidus-Logos]

I was brought up the same way, your right 'its how they were raised, how their parents were raised, their parents parents etc' But its done me no harm, ive a good job, great wife, great kids, own my own home, money in the bank and im only 32! My way of thinking, kids grow up too fast, society seems to dictate it, encourage it! Wheres the inonce gone? wherse the child hood gone? Back in my day you didnt have gangs of kids weilding guns and knives. We did play outside as kids!

Innocence is not a trait that requires an exclusion of critical thinking, logic, and reasoning ability. Lies are actually sort of detrimental to innocence.

We're not saying give kids guns or knives. We're talking about teaching them the skills they need at a young age. Lying to them, to me, supports them NOT practicing skills involved in intellectual conversation, discourse, or civilized argument. If you can reason with your child, no matter if it is somewhat harder, you should do this, not lie to them in order to achieve your goal more easily.

Lie if you absolutely have to, for a serious reason. Use logic and discussion if you can.

[JGirl]

Ha ha My dad told me that if I eat good cheese it will put hairs on my chest.... I never ate it for years.. I was not going to want hairs on my chest LOL

Where do they get this hairs on the chest from?

My dad once told me that he grew up living in a crack in the wall...I sucked that in big time... went around looking at wall cracks to see if I could spot any tiny families

i don't know where they got the hair on the chest thing, but i was having none of it!

my dad fell asleep with his glasses on and when i asked him why he told me he always slept with them on so he could see what he was dreaming. i bought that one.

he also told me the hair in his nose was to keep flying bugs out. i also fell for that one.

yikes i was a gullible kid. i don't consider those lies though, just part of his parenting personality lol

[Kazahel]

I dont understand how it wouldnt annoy the parents to know they had to lie inorder to teach.

So I think its a lazy way to teach, unless you are trying to teach how to lie.