Lies We Tell Kids

As anyone who has been interrogated by a smart aleck child knows it takes maybe four whys in a row before the veneer of adult knowing falls apart completely. The first why is easy to answer, the second why requires pulling from the jigsaw puzzle of stock answers and handed-down cliches. Further whys beyond this and things start becoming worryingly ... See more

Whenever we lie to kids to protect them, we're usually also lying to keep the peace.

One consequence of this sort of calming lie is that we grow up thinking horrible things are normal. It's hard for us to feel a sense of urgency as adults over something we've literally been trained not to worry about. When I was about 10 I saw a documentary on pollu... See more