No, you won’t be the first to get away with a lie from your parents. Most children admit to lying to their parents at some point. The frequency and reasons for lying vary. Some lie frequently about many things while others only occasionally lie about specific issues. Some reasons you may be planning a lie could be fear of punishment, losing the ability to do the thing you want or fear of disappointing your parents.
Just a secret: the best way to lie and get away with it from any parent is to make it realistic without adding any more details than you have to.
How to get away with a lie from your parents
The difficulty of getting away with a lie depends on factors like your relationship with your parent and whether you have strict parents.
1. Don’t appear like you have a secret
If your parent thinks that you are hiding something, they naturally become curious and may start asking questions that can uncover the truth. This can lead to increased suspicion and mistrust.
Nevertheless, it’s a fact that most parents can’t tell when you tell lies, especially if you present yourself and the lies well enough. Per Pacified Standard magazine, “New research finds adults — especially parents — tend to assume children are telling the truth.”
2. Try to share the information
When you open up and share information with your parents, it makes them trust you more. With trust, parents are less likely to ask many questions and can be more forgiving. Thus, try sharing more information with them to reduce any form of strictness. This can come in the form of talking about your daily activities, and your interests, or sharing your thoughts on various topics such as the quality of school lunches, or your favorite book.
3. Partially disclose some information
A great lying technique to get away from parents is using partial disclosure. As an adult, try supplying the most information but purposefully withhold details that your parents would want to know. Be careful though, as this can make your parents more curious. For example, if you plan to spend a night with your boyfriend or girlfriend or attend a party, you could say, “I need to be with friends to assist me to complete my project.” The likely question will be “… and who is this friend?” Your possible answer is “not one you know of.”
4. Take care of your body language
Per Fremont University, body language constitutes more than 60% of what we communicate. So, you want to try not to make too much eye contact. When your parents ask a direct question and you don’t look them in the eye, they may assume you’re dodging it and they will become nosy. The idea is to remain as natural as possible. Don’t look away for too long and don’t be too fixated on their eyeballs.
Try to unwind. You are conveying tension can while you cross your arms. Your shoulder tensing, looking down, arm wiggling or twisting, and crossing your legs give the impression that you’re lying, and your parents will become suspicious.
5. Just keep it simple
Don’t invent a crazy, hour-long story; keep it brief/concise. Moreover, if you tend to forget things, it’s better to tell your parents that you can’t recall a particular thing, instead of making up too many lies.
Also, if your lie is, let’s say “sick”, keep that up all day to make it seem more plausible. If you’re lying to go to a party, find your pals who will be present at the party to support your lie.
Just keep it short and straightforward, and make a claim that no one ignorant will be able to refute.
Should you lie to your parents at all?
It may be okay to lie to your parents but this generally depends on the situation. Nevertheless, honesty remains the best policy and it helps to maintain trust and open communication with your parents. If you find it necessary to withhold information or bend the truth to protect yourself, or others, or something like a pregnancy to prevent a misunderstanding, lying may be worth it. Your decision to lie should be based on your own values and morals, but do so with the potential consequences in mind.
What to do if your parents caught you lying?
It may be challenging to regain your parents’ trust, but it is possible.
Own it up
It may be difficult but owning up will set you on the path to regaining the lost trust. Just take responsibility for your actions to help break the cycle of dishonesty.
Say you’re sorry
It will surprise you how a simple “I am sorry” can fix things so quickly. Experts consider “I am sorry” the most powerful statement in the world. A heartfelt apology will make things right. You can apologize by saying, “IÂ regret that I hurt. I was mistaken and sorry,” or “I apologize for offending you.” Other ways include:
- I’m sorry for how I behaved.
- I feel bad for lying.
- I should never have done it.
Explain without making excuses
Excuses are unproductive, but providing an explanation can enhance communication. When you explain your feelings and circumstances, it encourages your parents to understand your perspective.
Control the damage
The damage has been done. Now, you just need to accept the consequences until you regain the trust. Commit to being truthful moving forward and ensure to follow through on your promise.
Conclusion
It’s not advisable to lie, let alone to your parents to avoid unpleasant consequences like getting caught and damaging your relationship. If they catch you, come clean or you’ll only end up alienating more people. Good luck.
