#21: The Protective Lie
Childhood is a time filled with adventures and misadventures, and occasionally, trouble rears its head. Children, utterly dependent on their parents, often find themselves at their mercy when things go awry. Sometimes, the fear of retribution can lead children to choose a fib over confessing to their mistakes and bracing for a parental “I told you so.”
Nothing is as daunting as confessing to parents that you’ve broken one of your cherished gadgets. The anxiety that comes with such a revelation can be overwhelming. Even when the real reason behind a malfunction is known, a fabricated story is sometimes the preferred course of action to avoid exacerbating the situation. It reflects the intricate dance children perform between truth and self-preservation.
