When I was young, I once lied about eating an entire carton of ice cream. I was growing fast, always hungry and the ice cream made me feel better. One day, I found a new carton of ice cream in the freezer and took it to my room and ate it. Later, my father, who had a very bad temper called me to the kitchen and demanded to know if I had eaten the ice cream. I immediately said "no', but I had the spoon I had eaten the ice cream with in my right hand behind my back. I was so afraid of my father that I dropped the spoon when he spoke to me and then he knew that I had lied to him. I'll never know if he was mad at me for lying or for eating the entire carton of ice cream and even the truth might have caused the same response, but the lie did not save me. I was thrown against a wall and I was slapped several times over the head. Stunned and upset I ran to hide in the fields near the house for the rest of the day.

Today, I try to put myself in my parents' shoes and try to understand the reasons why parents don't like their children to lie to them. The problem is that sometimes lying is the best way to get what you want or to get out of some bad situation. In my experience, it is rarely helpful or useful to lie. The truth may invoke a negative response, but the truth also clears a person of guilt and makes them responsible for their behavior. It is also more courageous to tell the truth, than to tell a lie.