prompt 218--lies and parents
If lying to kids was a capital offense, 99% of the parents out there wouldn't
make it past the terrible twos. It happens. Whether it's such a thing as "if you don't go to sleep Santa Claus will put coal in your stocking", or "your dad loves you, he's just away"(instead of "he's drunk/stoned/in jail"), white lies (and some gray areas) are a fact of life.
Should kids be told the truth?
Depends.
No, I don't think full disclosure and "be honest always" is a universal solution, despite what the "child raising/family issues" shows and magazines tell you. People aren't math formulas that only have one solution set.
Does a little girl need to know that her daddy's not home 'cause he's with his girlfriend in another city, despite still being married with no suggestions of divorce?
Should a son be told that he was adopted, that his mother couldn't have biological children and agreed to adopt a kid who'd been taken from his "real" parents' custody due to abuse/neglect?
What if the kids' truth is that their "real" parents are the ones they've shared a life with, and they wouldn't have wanted to hear "facts" that
are meant to shred that belief? that choice?
...Just never mind the Santa Claus bit. I'm not going to answer questions on that one.
The biggest lie my dad told me was one he believed himself. Those are usually the best. Coat lies in a bit of truth and they go down easier.
Truth and lies aren't opposite, they're complementary. It's all in how you spin the words.
Muse: Kevin Ford
Fandom: Misc Comics
Word count: 265
make it past the terrible twos. It happens. Whether it's such a thing as "if you don't go to sleep Santa Claus will put coal in your stocking", or "your dad loves you, he's just away"(instead of "he's drunk/stoned/in jail"), white lies (and some gray areas) are a fact of life.
Should kids be told the truth?
Depends.
No, I don't think full disclosure and "be honest always" is a universal solution, despite what the "child raising/family issues" shows and magazines tell you. People aren't math formulas that only have one solution set.
Does a little girl need to know that her daddy's not home 'cause he's with his girlfriend in another city, despite still being married with no suggestions of divorce?
Should a son be told that he was adopted, that his mother couldn't have biological children and agreed to adopt a kid who'd been taken from his "real" parents' custody due to abuse/neglect?
What if the kids' truth is that their "real" parents are the ones they've shared a life with, and they wouldn't have wanted to hear "facts" that
are meant to shred that belief? that choice?
...Just never mind the Santa Claus bit. I'm not going to answer questions on that one.
The biggest lie my dad told me was one he believed himself. Those are usually the best. Coat lies in a bit of truth and they go down easier.
Truth and lies aren't opposite, they're complementary. It's all in how you spin the words.
Muse: Kevin Ford
Fandom: Misc Comics
Word count: 265