I think the people who disagreed with this commentary are likely to be absolutists who believe that lying is always wrong or that it is hypocritical to lie to your children while teaching them to tell the truth.

People who work for our country lie to protect us - they're called spies.

Sometimes people lie to protect the feelings of others if telling the truth would serve no purpose other than to upset someone.

However, children don't have the judgment to determine when lying might be appropriate in a given situation. Therefore, we have to teach them not to lie.

As they mature, they will learn when to make an exception.

One thing I haven't heard mentioned is using the art of redirection rather than lying. My grandmother was a master of this and I do my best. She said it is not okay to lie (with the exception of extreme circumstances like spies), but it is okay to change the subject. Most of us don't have a genuinely compelling reason to lie.

For instance, when a woman you love asks you if she looks good in a dress that makes her look terrible, tell her she looks beautiful but the dress doesn't flatter her. If you can, tell her the red dress she had on the other day did more to enhance her beauty.

If a child asks what happens to her pet when he dies, say you don't know exactly. Ask what she thinks and listen to her answer attentively. Then tell her that wherever he is you're sure her pet will always love her and that love can comfort her when she's sad. Encourage her to honor her pet by remembering the good times they shared.

If someone gives you a present you hate and they ask you how you like it, beam your gratitude at them and tell them how thoughtful and generous it was of the person to think of you, and say you don't have anything like it, thank you.

There are wonderfully creative ways to avoid lying in everyday life if you look for them.

I think telling the truth is very important because you are learning how to be honest. Telling the truth keeps you from getting out of trouble and if you never lie people will always believe you. Telling the truth every time is not always good because you may hurt someone's feelings when you say you stink or something like that so you should only say the right thing. Instead of saying, "Oh, I have it already," you should just say a normal thank you to the person. THIS IS MIGUEL SAYING THAT CHARACTER COUNTS AND THANK YOU EVERYBODY.

If your mom or dad lies to you, then they will say that a little lie never hurt anyone, but when the kid tells a lie, the parent says that it's not good to lie. So I think telling a lie is sometimes okay, but you need to know how to use it. For example: If your friend asks you "Am I too fat for cheerieading?" and you say "No," then when your friend goes to tryout and the head cheerleader says she's too fat, then your friend can't trust you anymore. So then parents should lie to their kid because the kid would not know when to make a good lie from a bad lie. So you parents out there need to teach your kids when to lie and when not to.

Many grown-ups lie but for one reason. To make other people happy. Many grown-ups have kids right and when their son or daughter is scared, sad, worried, or mad they tell a little fib to make them happy. One example is when Michael Josephson posted "Parenting by Lying." That is one good example that parents lie. Not also parents lie. Kids under the age 18 tell a lot of lies just to not get a lot of trouble. So parents lie but also kids lie.

When I was a child, I grew up trusting my mom no matter what. I never remember thinking for even a second that she was not telling me the absolute truth. Looking back, I think this was the basic foundation for a very healthy relationship with my mom that we still have today. She still tried to protect me as a parent should but never used any lies in doing so. I remember her telling me a few times that "sometimes the truth hurts, but it's the truth." I guess in a way she did lie to me about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. However, she did tell me later on that she never lied to me. She just let society and marketing do their magic and the rest fell into place. She pointed out when I was in third grade that she was merely going along with what I told her, not me going along with what she told me.
As an adult and mother myself, sometimes I call her for advice on things such as discussing where babies come from. She says always tell the truth. Even if it is uncomfortable for you, just spare the details and most children are happy with a very simple answer. Well, my oldest son is now in Jr. High and he has just told me he knows I will give him a truthful answer because I have never lied to him. So trust is important. It kept me out of a lot of trouble as a teenager and so far has worked wonderfully for my children.