Yes, I admit it.  I tell little while lies.  I swore I would never be the parent who lied to their child.  I told myself pre-kid days, “You should always be upfront and honest with them”.  Wellllll, that was wishful thinking.  Because….sometimes, you will do anything to keep an ounce of your sanity.

The incessant whining.  The tantrums.  The non-stop questions.  There are days when my patience goes out the door and I just can’t seem to keep my cool.  Instead of pulling out my hair or shouting from the rooftops, I resort to these 5 little white lies:

1.  It’s broken

That annoying toy that won’t stop playing music or making that high pitched screeching sound? Yup, the one where you can never seem to find the on/off button or it randomly starts playing when it’s stuffed away in the toy box.  These are the toys that magically disappear and when your child asks for it back, you calmly respond with, “It’s broken.  I will fix it soon.”

2.  It’s closed.

The Park.  The Swimming Pool.  The Splash Pad.  The Trampoline Center.  2 Toots Train restaurant. Basically any place he has ever had fun.  My son will ask me to go to these places morning, noon, and night.  When I give him a polite no, he keeps asking.  Then, I give him a stern no.  Same response.  So, I gave up and started telling him that the given place is closed.  “It’s not open, buddy.  We can go when it opens back up again.”  Sometimes it’s the only thing that works!

3.  It’s napping/sleeping.

Where did the train go?  Where’s the garbage truck?  Where’s the school bus?  Luck has it, we can go over a handful of train tracks and never seem to have one pass by.  BUT, it never stops my son from curiously asking where the train is. Where’s the train?  Moooooom, where did the train go?  Our answer is never good enough.  So, we say that the train is taking a nap….or went to his shed for the night to sleep.  Same story for the school bus and garbage truck.  Hey, vehicles take naps and sleep like us, right?!  At least he thinks so!

4.  It’s all gone.

It amazes me how much kids can eat sometimes….well, only junk food and snacks, of course.  Give them some veggies and it can take days to get them to take a bite.  But, when it comes to goldfish crackers, a donut, or cookie, one can never consume enough.  They always want more.  After engaging in a few battles, I realized that he was outsmarting me most of the time.  So, I just throw my hands up and say sweetly, “Sorry bud, it’s all gone.  I don’t have any more.”  Meanwhile, the pantry is fully stocked and the diaper back is chock full of those bad boys.  A little secret worth keeping.

5.  It’s ______. 

Ok, let’s be completely honest.  Sometime’s it’s whatever fits the bill!

Lately, all my son wants to do is go downstairs in the garage and ride his life-sized electric train on its track over and over and over again.  After giving many logical reasons as to why we can’t at the given moment, he persists.  The kid knows what he wants and wants it NOW. So, I  tell him that the batteries are dead and need to be recharged.  Yup, same story with the ipad.  Sometimes a lie beats having to hear him,  ask for it a MILLION times over.

For awhile, I was in awe at the number of times he would request to wear his favorite train shirt. It honestly seemed like he asked EVERY SINGLE DAY.  What in the world would the moms at play class think when he shows up in the same red Thomas shirt from the other day?  Do I ever do laundry and wash my kids clothes?  So, I simply tell him that it’s dirty. “It’s in the wash, buddy.  Maybe tomorrow.”  Oh, Thomas….how I loathe your existence some days.

Are there times when I feel guilty?  Sure. I’m sure we all do.  But is it worth my sanity some days?  Indeed!  What are some of the little white lies you tell your kids to get through the day?  Please….go ahead and humor me.  I need to know I’m not alone!