Along with the discipline, the hard work, the patience, the laughter, the love, etc …come the “necessary lies” that parents tell their kids in order to get them to behave a certain way, or simply to explain a situation that might be too complex for the children to understand. Those necessary lies are sometimes funny, other times scary. It’s amazing sometimes, how far a parent will go to break down an issue to the children’s level.
I remember growing up, when asked where money comes from, my father responded that it grows on trees. My siblings and I told him that the family will be better off if we (the kids) joined our parents to collect money instead of going to school. This is when he went on to explain that the collecting sites are fenced up in different sections and our level of education will determine how much money we have access to. For instance, if we end up with just a high school diploma, we will have to go to the area where there is 1 tree for 10,000 people. With a bachelor degree, 1 tree for 1,000 etc etc . He went on to illustrate his story by giving us examples with members of our extended family; after throwing a few questions at him it became very clear to us how important education was.
This story worked for my siblings and I so much so, that we plan to use it when we will be asked the same question.
What are the necessary lies that worked for you? Whether they were told to you or you had to tell your children.
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