White Lies

In the short story Salvation by Langston Hughes, he is deceived by his aunt the rest of the community in regards to Jesus and his existence. While many parents would say that they always want their children to be honest, they often themselves lie unintentionally. There is a difference in lying to children and telling a white lie. When someone lies they are knowingly providing false information for the purpose of deception. On the other hand white lies are untruthful statements that are not meant to harm, instead they are positive. White lies serve as to avoid hurting the feelings of the listener and to avoid negative reactions from the listener to the speaker if the truth is told. Much of today’s parenting revolves around white lies. Parenting consists of telling white lies to help protect a child’s innocence, promote creativity and teach them important social skills. Children are told white lies by their parents not to harm them but to protect their innocence. For instance, one of the all time favorite white lie is Santa Claus followed by the tooth fairy and Easter bunny. All of these characters help preserve their innocence and lets them just be kids. Santa Claus works in favor of the parents for the most part, children have to behave in order to receive a present if not they receive coal. When a child becomes aware that there is no Santa Clause it is time to tell them the truth. It is crucial that it is explained in a positive way so that the child does not feel betrayed. The belief of Santa Claus is most often the last frontier of their innocence, and to deny them that would be robbing them of their childhood. Another example, is when a child realizes or becomes aware of financial struggle in the family, it is the duty of the parent to reassure their child that everything is fine. Even though, it is a lie but it is being said to protect a child from worrying. A child does not need to worry whether the parent is going to have money to buy food or pay the rent.

Cited: Barrowcliffe, Mark. “Do parent’s white lies hurt children?.” The Times. Times Newspapers Ltd. 24 November 2009. Web. 16 July 2011. Boser, Ulrich. “We’re All Lying Liars: Why people Tell Lies, and Why White Lies Can Be OK.” US News. 18 May 2009. Web. 16 July 2011. Sue. “Your child and white lies.” Home Education in the UK. 4 April 2009. Web. 16 July 2011.