tonyw@ubvax.UUCP (Tony Wuersch) (03/13/85)
Yes, no one should ever encourage children to lie. The idea that lying
is a form of violence is very valid.
When I grew up, we never discussed lying. But the phrasing and timing of
truth was always stressed -- that one could play poker, tell a little,
wait a little, force or avoid confrontations, etc., while still telling
the truth.
There's a sense I get to the discussion about truth here that people want
their kids to tell the WHOLE truth. Perhaps kids should be taught a
distinction between the WHOLE truth and partial truths, that the WHOLE
truth is what loved ones should tell each other.
Another part of this discussion that I think gets minimized in a focus
on one-round exchanges ("Are you telling me the truth, yes or no?") is
the problem of what the response to truth should be. Parents who are
told the truth by their children should respond directly to what they learn,
positively if that is possible. And children should learn to expect a response.
If only the world made that so easy.
Tony Wuersch
{amd,amdcad}!cae780!ubvax!tonyw