Do you lie to your kids?

It’s Friday and I felt like we all might be in the mood for something amusing just in time for the weekend.   So…. a blog post from the conversations with my daughter, Kezia.  Have a great chuckle and a good weekend everyone.

My husband is French and I am English, as you may have guessed. We are raising our children to speak both as well. So we continuously get asked “Do you speak strictly English with them, and your husband in French?”

Now the experts say this is the way to raise bilingual children. And being that they are the experts, well they are probably right. So I respond with “Are you freaking kidding me?? Do you know how hard that is to actually do?” And then I finish off with “aye – no, they’ll figure that shit out on their own. They’re smart kids. They understand both, and they’ll work out which is which eventually.”

Honestly does it really matter what language they argue and negotiate with me? I mean “no” sounds pretty much the same in most languages regardless.

Really, all I am looking to hear is “OK, whatever you say mom. Thanks for being you. I love you.” and of course “You look really slim in those sweatpants mom.”

Which brings me to the question of how you respond to unusual questions from your children about the magical myths we create for them.

The other day, my daughter came to me and asked “Is the Easter bunny a real bunny that brings us chocolates? Or is it just a costume?”

What a great question. I always knew the answer to this one. I was so sure this was an easy thing to do, because all parents did it.  But now I had to look into those big beautiful blue eyes and LIE!

This is something I am constantly after her to stop doing. So I came up with this….

“I don’t know honey. I have never seen him. It’s magic, just like Santa is magic.”

Figuring this was a decent explanation, and the best way to tell the truth without breaking the whole magical dream of childhood, I thought I could walk away with a clear conscience. But No…. because, well, because she is four. She looks at me questioningly “But is it real, or just a costume?”

REALLY??

How have all these parents been so easily lying to their children over all these years?

I just can’t do it. I am all for the magic of Christmas. I love it. Easter – love it. I just don’t know how to lie to them. Especially while I am in the midst of teaching my children not to lie.

So I suppose I will keep along my path of, it’s just magic. That way I am telling the truth, while they still believe. When they no longer believe, I can safely say, I did not lie. I will be able to tell them the magic is in being a child and believing in it. I am almost certain that the next question at that point will be “So, are all parents’ liars, or is it just you?”

WINE, PLEASE!