pinnochioMy entire life is a lie. Well, that's not completely true. See, I just lied. It's probably because ever since childhood, we adults have been lied to our entire lives.

Okay, so I still refuse to believe that Pluto is not a planet. George Washington never chopped down a cherry tree. And the Civil War wasn't a war to free the slaves. Whether in school or at home, kids are just told certain things to make learning easier. Maybe they're not the most blatant lies, but more a stretching of the truth. Regardless, a white lie is a lie.

So why do we lie to our kids? And don't tell me you don't. Everyone has lied to their kids at some point. Maybe we do it because their minds aren't developed enough to understand the full concept of some things. Or maybe we do it because it's just easier that way.

Since the average U.S. adult lies roughly 29 percent of the time (See, I just made that up. I lied. Again. It's so easy!), we're doing our kids a favor by lying to them. We're inadvertently teaching them that lying is a part of life, and the sooner they can accept it, the better.

Here's a look at 10 Big Fat Lies We All Tell Our Kids.

  1. It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game. Yeah, right. So why do we even keep score? No baseball player's getting a 10-year contract valued at $280 million for just playing a good game.
  2. Fictional characters. Santa Claus. The Easter Bunny. The Tooth Fairy. We make up these elaborate stories about mythical characters because ... well, it's just too darn easy to fool the little buggers.
  3. This will hurt me more than it'll hurt you. Yeah, the kids aren't buying this one either.
  4. Work hard in life and you'll get far. Sure, if by "work hard," you mean walking. That's about the only way you'll get anywhere. The older you get, the more you realize how true it is that it's not what you know, it's who you know.
  5. Stop touching that or your palms will get hairy. No, really? Parents don't STILL say that, do they?
  6. We sent Fluffy upstate to run around a huge farm. Dog, cat, fish, whatever. Whenever a family pet dies, nobody wants to tell the kids. So they're always sent off to some huge farm far away. That must be one ginormous farm if everyone's pet is there!
  7. It's what's on the inside that matters. That's what we apparently tell all the ugly kids.
  8. There's nothing to be scared about. Have you seen what college tuition is going to cost when your kids are old enough?!?
  9. Mommy and daddy were just wrestling. But how come on TV, the athletes all wrestle with their clothes on?
  10. Cheaters never win. Unless you're Lance Armstrong ... for a little while, at least.

What lies do you tell your kids?

 

Photo via TownePost Network/Flickr