Lying

I have always tried to teach my children that lying isn't the best policy however, through their teenage years I feel that it's impossible to get 100% of the truth all of the time.  I have a sixteen year old son that lies about the silliest things.  There is one thing that happened recently that comes to mind.  I called my son and asked him to let the dogs out, he said he would and I know how he can get distracted by the computer so I called back thirty minutes later to make sure he had done so.  He said he did and they all went to the bathroom.  I then called my daughter to see what she was doing.  She told me that she and the dogs went to Petco and the dog park so they could run and have been gone for a few hours!  The more I thought about the situation the more mad I got, why did he have to lie about that! That proved to me he was just lazy and really wasn't going to let them out if they were there.  Lying has many effects on how someone will perceive you, from this small lie it's going to be hard to trust him when he says he let the dogs out.  I wouldn't say this damage our relationship but put a dent into our trust.  "Research has shown that lying does in fact threaten relationships."  I know that this is something minor and most teens go through so I don't take it to heart, I just know I have to keep a close eye on him and constantly remind him lying is not the best policy.

Looking Out Looking In Ch.9