The lies we tell as parents

Here is something every parent knows or does at some point- tell lies to their kids. Lots of them. Admit it. It is impossible to get through parenthood especially the first few years without spouting lies. Some of us can do it naturally. For others, its a little forced. However it may be, before we know it, we are doing it almost all the time. It is either the monster or the ghost or the policeman or God himself. It is someone to scare the bejesus out of the little one. Just to get them to drink milk. Or wear their pajamas to bed. Or to brush their teeth. Just for one little thing.When my son was born, I told myself, I would never lie to him. Worst case scenario, I would not give him a straight answer or distract him. But no lies. My parents, like every other parent of their generation, had concocted stories to get me to do things or keep me from doing things. I didnt want to perpetrate the same crime. I dont blame my parents. I turned out OK. But as with every generation, there is the innate desire to not make the same mistakes as the one before it. This was my wish. I would give my son the truth and nothing but the truth. If I thought he couldnt handle the truth, I would not give him anything. Just not lies. I kept to my lofty goals until I could distract him long enough to make him forget his original question. Once he turned 3, my vision came crashing down.Not a day goes by without me concocting a lie to get him to do something. As with any lie, lies were told to perpetrate the original lie. And before I knew it, I had weaved an entire world of my imagination around him, as a matter of convenience. My only scruple on the matter is that I wont introduce monsters and non-existent creatures. Otherwise, everything is open for interpretation. There is a policeman everywhere waiting to call me. There is the flexible boss who based on how quickly my son brushes his teeth, is either thrilled with me or angry enough to set off cops after me. There are colleagues aplenty at work, all coincidentally with kids aged 3 or 4 (my son is a couple of months shy of 4). All their kids dont listen to their parents and suffer as a result. Most of their sufferings are too gory to describe- just so I dont have to make it a nightmare magnet. Oh, the lies I tell.I worry if this fake world of mine will come back to bite me. But I have no choice. It is either this or going to work at 11. Or worse still, a tantrum every day. With this make believe, make shift nebulous universe I have weaved, things change to my convenience. My hope is that as he grows up and learns more about the real world, he would understand my motivations behind the lie. It is never to cheat him. It is to make him do what he ought to do in the first place. Brush, eat, go to school, and sleep. Simple things. Not so simple to get him to do.Sometimes I wish I had Dr.Seuss around. I bet he could help me come up with more colorful characters!. I so wish there was a real Seussville. That would make things so much more fun for everyone.