Yes, I must admit that this is making me feel kind of weird. When I was a kid, I was very shy – maybe because, in my extended family, I was the youngest of my generation, and some of my older cousins (and aunts and uncles) seemed to enjoy having fun at my expense. Looking back on it, I’m sure it was pretty mild, but I just grew up feeling like I had to watch myself around people, because I just assumed that the average person would humiliate you if they got the chance. But there were a few people, my parents included, who always played straight with me. I’m not sure what it would have been like if they had been the sort to enjoy putting me on. Who knows – maybe it would have made me less sensitive.
What about ‘lies other people told your children?’
Before we decided to have kids we decided never to lie to them (we would, grudgingly, go along with the Santa thing).
However, life rarely takes the path you chose.
The only ‘lies’ we tell our newly adopted kids are about the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Santa (and I would have left out the first two had they not started out believing in them). We work incredibly hard to always tell the (age-appropriate) truth at all times. It ain’t easy.
However, the foster mom taught them that rain is God’s tears, thunder is when he is angry, yadda yadda (and when you hiccup, you are growing). It is endless.
It’s going to take us years to work all of it out. Though it is pretty interesting giving impromptu science lessons to your 6 year old. (She’s learned very cool things about the weather and her body.)
Why make an exception for Santa? I plan on attempting to avoid lying to my children and that includes not lying to them about Santa.
My husband was a little less on board with the plan and I had to compromise.
Ah, shame. Wish there were more women like you. I’ve had discussions on the subject with past girlfriends and more than one was scandalized about the idea of being honest with their children.
I don’t have kids, but when I was at a party and I saw a friend’s son picking his nose, I told him that if he kept picking his nose, his brains would fall out. He didn’t believe me, so he asked his father and his father confirmed my lie.
I had 2 beloved pets that had health troubles or somesuch when I was little. My dad always said he was ‘taking them to a farm’.
This became a catchphrase among by brothers and me…your sick…better watch out our you;ll be taken to a farm!
So I grew up and found out…
He actually DID take them to a farm! They each lived a couple more years there because it was a farm owned by a old couple who loved cats and took in and constantly nursed sick/old ones.
Well, my father told me that if you pick a guinea pig up by its tail, its eyes would fall out. It took some time to realize that they don’t have tails.
Rather than the pulse-reader, we had a magic spoon for our children. If they were lying, the spoon would burn their lip, if they were telling the truth, the spoon would feel cool. Interestingly, no potentially burning spoon ever connected with a lip before the truth was blurted out.
My son was also terrified of the sandman. He thought it couldn’t be good to have some random stranger show up in his room at night just as he was falling asleep. So we made a sign with “YES” on one side; and “NO” on the other. Son decided which side would face out the window granting (or not) permission for the sandman to visit. It was never turned to the “YES” side.
I had great fun with the Tooth Fairy. Initially I would write little encouraging dental hygiene notes - like, remember to brush all your teeth, even the back ones. I would sign the notes, Love T.F. - my eldest son started writing back to the Tooth Fairy and told us things you couldn’t imagine. He even left her/him licorice under his pillow along with his tooth one time.
Eventually he thought he was on to us and asked me if the Tooth Fairy was his Dad. To which I could quite honestly reply no (of course it was me).
At their Christmas concert, my daughter’s middle school choir sang “Dona Nobis Pachem.” I told her it was Latin for “Don’t pick your nose.”
This is dangerous. When he’s a teen, he’ll just have sex with no worries, because he can’t make a baby until he’s 20!