Like most people, I was raised not to tell a lie. My mom was very firm about how much she hated lying. If I got caught in a lie – oh boy did I get in trouble.
In hindsight I realized that my mom lied to me too. Case in point – Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. As parents we sometimes need to tell a little “fib” from time to time.
I guess there are “good lies” and “bad lies.” I’m sure all lies can be considered bad, but when you think about it there are times when you have to “stretch the true” a bit. For example, if your best friend is wearing a dress she absolutely LOVES and it makes her very happy, would you tell her that the dress makes her look frumpy or it looks horrible on her? Not everyone can handle the truth. It’s these types of situations where not being entirely truthful is better than being completely honest.
Has your child ever told you a lie? My kids are far from perfect, but they tend not to lie. Even things most kids (or should I say teens) would like about, my kids will tell the truth. I am grateful for that.
My daughter, a typical teen, did try beer once at a party and she fessed up about it right away. She didn’t even try and lie about it. She came right out and told me. She knew what she did was wrong, but she felt pressured by the other kids to take a sip.
She also told us about a friend who shop lifted while she was with my daughter, and how this so-called fried was smoking marijuana in her parent’s home during a sleepover. My daughter could have lied about it to protect her friend, but she came right out and told us what had happened. Needless to say our daughter is not allowed to hang out with her so-called friend anymore. I wish her friend was truthful with her own parents.
Whether your child is young, or a teenager like my children, here are some great shows and movies available on Netflix that touch upon lying and how it’s for the best to always tell the truth.
For Little Kids
1. The Gruffalo
2. Care Bears: S1E8, Untruths and Consequences
3. Veggie Tales in the House: S1E9, Lie-monade
4. Little Princess: S1E9, I Didn’t Do It
For Big Kids
1. Totally Spies!
2. A.N.T. Farm: S3E9, Pants on Fire
3. Spy School
4. Jessie: S1E14, World Wide Web of Lies
For Teens and Parents
1. Bloodline
2. Revenge
3. The Bling Ring
4. Pretty Little Liars
What’s new on Netflix
1. Monster High: Haunted (3/10)
2. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (3/11)
3. Inspector Gadget (3/27)
4. SUPER 4 (4/10)
You can use the above mentioned suggestions to get the conversation flowing about lying and use it as a teachable moment.
Other suggestions not mentioned above would be Liar, Liar (available through Netflix’s DVD subscription service) and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In Ferris’ case his lie about being sick and unable to attend school turned out to be a life changer for him and those around him.
Bloodline (mentioned above) is a new Netflix original series. Have you seen it yet?
The Rayburns, from the new Netflix original series, Bloodline, have some dark family secrets they’re willing to do anything to keep from coming out — lying included. While you may not know the Rayburn clan just yet, The Philadelphia Inquirer calls Bloodline “an intricately drawn and superbly cast portrait of a family in crisis.” Starring Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and set in the Florida keys, the series follows a family caught between the ugly truth and the terrible lie that covers it up – a storyline that conjured our friends at Variety to predict that, “.. those who give Bloodline a chance will, pretty quickly, find themselves hooked.”
I haven’t had the opportunity to watch any of the series yet. It sounds interesting.
Sometimes it is necessarily to lie, like how Inspector Gadget has to lie to cover up his true identity. Sometimes lies can be downright dangerous and even deadly like in The Bling Ring and Pretty Little Liars. Thankfully most of us know that lying is wrong and learn our lesson, even if it’s the hard way.
How do you feel about lying? How did you teach your child that it’s wrong to lie? Have you ever caught your child in a lie that turned out to be a laughable moment? Feel free to share your thoughts.
To learn more about Netflix visit Netflix.com. You can also check out Netflix on social media.
Kimberly
*I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team. I received a free subscription in exchange for my participation. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own unless otherwise noted.