There was a very funny article in the Chicago Tribune today about lies we tell our children. Of course the obvious ones are Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.

However, they had some very funny ones that parents told their kids for the good of their kids. BTW, the article cited child psychiatrists who say that as long as it is done for the child's welfare, there will be no longterm effects. I suppose "for the child's welfare" could be misinterpreted, though.

My favorite was about a 6-year-old who begged his mom to go fishing. She was a great mom, and normally would have complied. But, she just didn't want to that day and said, " Oh, honey, we can't. today is the autumnal equinox and the fish never bite that day." John, the child, believed this for almost 20 years. However, when he was in flight school and 6 guys in his squadron wanted to go fishing one Sunday, he found out the sad truth. He laughed at his friends when they wanted to fish, saying "Are you kidding? There are no fish today--it's the autumnal equinox!"

He has never lived that one down!

I remember one from my children's school days. One boy was supposedly allergic to chocolate. From kindergarten on, we could never bring any chocolate treats because of his allergy. While it was probably just as well, in high school he found out that, in fact, he isn't allergic to chocolate. His mother was just paranoid (for no obvious reason) that he'd be fat.

What mendacities do you have to share with us?

Quote: "She was a great mom, and normally would have complied. But, she just didn't want to that day."

As they say, invention is the necessity of mother.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: shufitz,

There were some great ones in the article. Another mother told her daughter that if she didn't wear underwear to school, the principal would call the police.

So didn't any of you have mendacious parents...or know of others who do?

Quote "...Another mother told her daughter that if she didn't wear underwear to school, the principal would call the police..."

I would think that, if the principal were to put himself in a position to discover this, then the pupil should consider calling the police!

Richard, Richard, Richard. You had kids, right? They forget! I am sure the author hadn't meant 15 year-olds...she probably meant 6-year-olds. They are rushing to get to school and forget underwear.

One more, and then I must think that all of you and your friends had parents who were never mendacious.

This supposedly was the winner in the article. While I didn't much like it (for the reasons I will give), Shu thought it hilarious and that the parents were geniuses:

The parents gave their children only meat and potatoes, but they gave themselves meat, potatoes and vegetables. Pretty soon, the kids began to ask for the vegetables, too. "NO! These are just for adults!" said the parents. After much begging, the kids were finally allowed the delicacies of brussel sprouts and broccoli and carrots, etc. Those kids always loved their vegetables, according to the article.

As a mom, I have 2 reservations about that story. First, what kind of precedent are you creating if you give in to your kids begging? Secondly, my kids would have taken one bite and then said, "Oh, yes, these are for adults." That would have been that.

vegetables

The anecdote also presupposes bring up one's children in a vacuum. I remember being shocked to learn that most kids (and adults) don't like vegetables when I was informed about it at school.

quote:

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Originally posted by jheem:
_vegetables_

I remember being shocked to learn that most kids (and adults) don't like vegetables when I was informed about it at school.

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A lot of kids grew up hating vegetables because they were overcooked at home, jheem. Anyway, that was my experience. I spurned them for years until I ate some which were served al dente. Never expected to like them. I was just being courteous to the cook. What a surprise! Yum.

Another reason kids don't like vegetables. You can't get them at McDonald's.

You can't get them at McDonald's.

Ah, but ketchup is a vegetable. I remember a famous semanticist, who also happened to be president at the time, declaring it so.

Quote "...You can't get them at McDonald's..."

And so are potatoes, buns (made from grain) and coleslaw (made from cabbage). What is meant here, of course, is fresh, green vegetables, not processed vegetables like fried potatoes.

What is meant here, of course, is fresh, green vegetables, not processed vegetables like fried potatoes.

I was being sarcastic and you know it Richard. Anyway, MacDonald's at least in the US have had salad bars for quite some time. (Full disclosure: the last two times I've been in a Micky Dee's were 1985 and 1994, both times pretty much at gun point. Hey, it was the US, well actually in '85 it was Germany. At least in Germany you casn order a beer.) I think that US-style fast food (I'm sure that others will point out that the British actually invented fast food (those Harrod's picnic baskets around the time of the Crystal Palace) is an atrocious thing for us to export. Like the neutron bomb, the world would be better off without it.

That's two times more than I've been into a McDonald's, jheem. I remember some thirty-odd years back the first McD's in this country was opened a couple of miles away from my home, to a great fanfare in the local press. I vowed then not to grace them with my presence, and I have seen nothing since to make me want to change my mind.

That's two times more than I've been into a McDonald's

You ain't missed nuthin', arnie. Their food is worse than it looks. Their hamburgers consist of fat, bone meal, and sugar, oh, and some kind of beef by-product. Their secret is not needing to add cardboard as filler because the bonemeal tastes better. There was a nice mom & pop grocery store next store to where I lived in Bonn that made and sold great frikadelle (halfway between a hamburger and a Swedish meatball). They got most of my custom. Yum.

Well, in all fairness, their grilled chicken caesar salad with low-fat dressing is quite good, and it is healthy. Plus, after that documentary (which I never saw), they finally saw the light and stopped the "super-sizing."

I do remember that ketchup quote, jheem. I also seem to remember french fries being portrayed as vegetables for school lunches as well...which of course is balderdash. We have had a run of semanticist (as jheem calls them) leaders, haven't we?

Really, jheem, can you order beer in German McDonald's? And, Richard, did the Brits invent fast food? Just wondering!

I went into a McDonalds in Aberdeen Harbour (Hong Kong) since I felt that their washroom facilities would be a lot better than the Chinese ones. And so that proved. It could have been a McDonalds anywhere, except that the schoolchildren were Chinese and the menus were in two languages.

There was a libel case here (the longest ever) in which McDonalds sued a young couple for their defamatory remarks about the quality of the food. Since neither of them was employed (and, by coincience, on was the daughter of a friend of mine) they fought the entire case on legal aid (which means that I and the rest of the British taxpayers) paid the massive legal costs.

McDonalds, I believe, won since they were able to prove that their food (nauseating though it might be) is actually made from perfectly good ingredients. (A bit like Budweiser, then).

Really, can you order beer in German McDonald's?

Yes. You can even order and drink a beer at the local cinema. In the Republic of Tejas, you can get a side of jalapeños with yer Big Mac (tm).