Lies we tell our children...and is it any wonder they say them back to us?

I’ll be there in a minute
I’m just talking on the phone, I’ll be finished soon
I’m coming to see you
I’ll be on the computer for two minutes and then I’ll be finished
I’ll read you a story in a minute
Yes, I love making lego models
It’s not going to hurt
Father Christmas
The tooth fairy
Flying Reindeer
So why am I surprised when I’m waiting for my children to take them to school in the morning and they say “I’m coming” only to appear ten minutes later. It’s because when they call me to see their painting, toy, model, hair brush...I say “I’m coming” but I get there when I want to, usually when I’ve finished the ironing, hovering, dusting, cooking, washing task that is occupying me.
Is it any wonder that our teenagers tell us fibs about where they've been and what they've been doing when they know that we lied for years about the tooth fairy and Santa?
We shouldn't be horrified when our children are told to get off the computer, Wii or whichever allocated entertainment after their alloted time frame and they say...."Nearly finished" or "Five minutes and I'll be done." They've probably heard it from us.
Listen to your kids today, hear from them what you say to them and kids.....listen to what you say and think about where you heard it! Sometimes it's a funny thing, sometimes it's a sad thing...perhaps mostly it's a family heritage thing. We are all making history...so let's make sure we try and tell our children the truth and if we must tell them lies, make the lies we tell them small ones, happy ones and ones that make us smile.