Liar, Liar: Why Is It So Hard To Tell The Truth?

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Tell the truth, have you ever told a lie? Even a little white lie? Is it ever okay to lie? Do you think that stretching the truth lying? Or is lying by omission lying?

They say that children and fools tell the truth. But we know that this isn’t true. Children lie all the time. They pick it up from their parents, media and other children. Sometimes they do it, to get out of trouble or get what they want and sometimes it is a way of experimenting with humour. Interestingly enough, some research suggests that teens see it as more acceptable to lie to their parents than lie to their friends.

We know lying is wrong, yet many of us do it regularly enough to suggest that it is not wrong. Why is it so hard to always tell the truth? Beverly Beuermann-King Click to tweet

What Is An Acceptable Lie?

Is there such a thing as an acceptable lie? We lie about our spending habits to our spouse or about our illnesses to our boss so that we can take an extra vacation day. Research out of the University of California suggests that people tell an average of two lies a day. A survey conducted in the UK estimated that parents will tell children approximately 3,000 lies throughout their childhood and a US poll reported that 31% of moms said that they lied more often since having kids.

So is it possible to always tell the truth? Probably not as sometimes we lie to protect the feelings of another or to prevent issues from arising. However, as parents, we need to watch what lies we tell and who may be listening in. If you are going to chastise your child for lying, you better make sure that they are not just mirroring your behaviour.

Beverly’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency Through Tell The Truth Day:

Take note of the things that you may be lying about. Then, ask yourself why do you feel the need to lie about these things? The insights that you garner may be invaluable in measuring your morale compass.
See how long you can go without lying. And avoiding all other human contact during this time doesn’t count. Do you have a harder time not lying at work or at home?
REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE – Let the truth you share be in a manner that you would also appreciate.