#231 Stop Lying to Your Kids — Speak ONLY Truth to Gain More Influence

The EXTRAORDINARY Family Life Podcast

We've never told any of our 7 children there is a Santa Clause or a Tooth Fairy. That's because we always wanted to be seen as people our children can believe and trust -- NO MATTER WHAT -- especially when it comes to discerning truth in the world and discovering what is real and what is not. And while it's not just about Santa Clause, this approach of ALWAYS speaking Truth is one of the key philosophies that has helped us to raise children, teens, and young adults who truly trust, believe, and seek out our advice, even into young adulthood. It is an approach that has led them to know that we will ALWAYS be straight with them -- no matter if it's about their health, weight, looks, friends, ideas, dates, or choices. No matter what questions they have, they can come to us and get REAL answers. We won't be overly harsh, but we also won't sugarcoat things. We won't underplay the risks, but we won't exaggerate them either. We don't know all the answers, but we will share everything we do know to be true -- whether it's about faith, religion, quantum physics, history, wellness, money, or our personal choices. And our kids can trust what we tell them TRUTH because we've NEVER intentionally told them something that wasn't true or tried to convince them of stories or myths are reality. We still like to pretend and make-believe and we love stories and myths and using our imagination (mythology and science fiction are my kids' favorite genres) -- but we are honest with our kids when it's a STORY and when it is TRUTH -- when we're teasing and pretending and when it's REAL. We completely respect other people's beliefs and practices, and we're definitely not condemning people for telling their kids to believe in Santa. But we do have a very interesting conversation in this episode about lies, honesty, and the power of influence that comes into your relationships when you commit to speaking only Truth. Listen now! --------- Check out our upcoming Trips & Adventures --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/extraordinary-family-life/message