LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE…

LIAR,  LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE…

Those of us over the age of 40, have heard that childhood phase, many times… It was funny, but it sure wasn’t funny if you got caught lying by your parents. 

I know it might have taken me a couple of times to catch on, that lying  meant a butt whipping..  And I do mean a butt whip.. either by hand or by strap..  the kind of whipping that had you dancing on the end of a hand that held you, so you couldn’t  get away… I was a fairly quick learner in that.. telling the truth might hurt some…but nothing as bad as the lie. 

I also instill that into my own kids.. A little less violent but the message was the same… A swat on the butt a few times… or something dearly with held… standing with their nose is the corner for a while..  But the message was the same.. DO NOT LIE… the punishment was far less for the truth.

Also had the talk of how some day, they will need me to stand up for them.. if they are accused of doing or saying something.. And if they are liars to me.. then I will not stand up for them.  Might stand beside them…but not stand up for them..   And that turn out to be a true story many years later, when one of my teens was accused of stealing a purse on his paper route… I did go down the to the police station and talked to my son..  and when he told me, he didn’t do it.. I believe him, because of such a talk, and he always told the truth..  I told the police officer that if my son said he didn’t do it.. he didn’t do it.. and that I realized that he hears that from all the parents.. but it was true with my son..  He said he had to interview him, and he would do so without me there..  I told him, I had no fear that he would find out the truth from my son… After 20 minutes he came out… and said… as a police officer he has to have doubts, it goes with the job, but he also thought my son was telling the truth…  And sure enough a week later, it came out that the son of the woman who accused my son… had done it.. and hid it in the back yard… which she found him going out there to get something else out of it.   This whole thing really set my kids in how things can go wrong, but if you tell the truth.. it will work out.  TRUTH was golden in our household…  to ever fail, would break the trust for us.  Trust is big, and to lose truth is hard to get back.

My own children, have followed thru with the same notion..  In fact  one time, one of them sent their child to talk to me.. (the poor kid).  So the next generation was.. TRUTH is golden.   One of my grandchildren, was asked by a police officer, if he had done something.. and he told the truth.. even when I sat there, listening to him.. and thought I think I would have told the truth but on a softer side of it.. He told it just as it was.. and how he felt..  I am going WOW…but was and still so proud of him..  He is an adult now.. and still the same way… in fact you might not like it.. as he tells it as it is..  Sometimes that can be a little rough on the receiving end.  Ha ha…. 

But what status do parents have now .. in order to teach their kids the same lesson?  With lies being told daily, hourly, by people of high places.. Even reading in the paper or watching the news.. There is a good share of it.. you can’t take for the truth…

They have even come up with a new phase… ALTERNATE TRUTH… WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?  It is either the truth or it isn’t…

Brings to my mind … the line from the movie FROM A FEW GOOD MEN…. The Jack Nickleson line… THE TRUTH? THE TRUTH? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH.!!!!...   

I guess the media and the government have decided we can’t handle the truth… as they go to great lengths to tell lies.. This goes against every grain in my body and soul…