The Funny Business of Parenting – Lie better and smarter

The author suggests that lying to children is a common and sometimes necessary parenting tactic.

Parents may lie to their children to avoid difficult conversations, prevent crying, or encourage good behavior.

I recently learned that a whale literally can’t swallow a person – its throat is too small. (Except for sperm whales, so avoid those.)

This means that the story of Jonah and the whale is possibly a lie, which is a shocking revelation. Cave people also regularly lied, mostly about who slaughtered the most buffalo that week.

Everybody lies, especially parents, because we have to do it. In fact, lying can save a lot of trouble, mostly to prevent all the crying. This does not end when they turn 18. Or, 30. Or, ever.

We lie to kids so they’ll:

1. think their favorite animal, like the