Liar Liar Pants on Fire...Netflix #StreamTeam

I once told my son that people worked in little pods under every stop light and turned the green/red/yellow switches depending on the traffic. In fact, I continued (though it wasn’t a fact at all), many people work underground in various jobs…it’s called the “underground economy.”

He believed me. He told his friends all about it!

I made up a lot of ridiculous stories when the kids were little for my personal enjoyment until one day…when I was telling my son something completely real…he told me he couldn’t trust anything I said anymore.

And…that’s when it stopped.

As parents, we tell white lies all of the time. There’s the ones we tell at Christmas and Easter or when a child’s tooth falls out…there’s the ones we tell to save our own sanity (“Barney’s sleeping right now but he’ll be on later”), there’s the ones we tell so as not to hurt someone’s feeling (“Of course you’re my favourite child”), and the ones we sometimes spin for our own enjoyment from time to time.

Did you know your bum could call off if you untwisted your belly button?

My kids seemed somewhat astonished when I told them that as well!

I had an answer for every single question they asked me…even if I made it up and chuckled to myself…and it was all fun and games until I got called out and realized that likely, it would come back to haunt me.

So we started calling “Pants.” Stemming from “Liar Liar Pants on Fire” we’d say “Pants” whenever we thought someone was telling a bit of a fib and they’d have to fess up. It wasn’t a big deal…just an “I call bullshit” comment that got us all laughing and telling the truth.

It sounded nicer than yelling “LIAR!” Even if it meant the same thing.

It’s tough to teach kids not to lie…their imaginations are spinning and on top of that…no one wants to get in trouble so saying you didn’t do something when you really did and insisting to the point that you actually start believing it yourself…is a natural part of growing up. Teaching kids to tell the truth…is part of parenting.

And it’s not easy.

As your kids get older, “How many beer did you have?” is a fun question to ask. I guarantee…the answer won’t be the real answer any more than asking a three year old “How many cookies did you eat?” or a seven year old “Did you brush your teeth?”

Somehow, you’re supposed to learn their body language, eye movements and changes in their voice to determine if they’re telling the truth or not…except for the “how many beer did you have” question in which case, there are several other ways of determining if they’re telling the truth to that one or not!

Netflix this month is all about lies. (And I know all about Netflix and their lying, I’ve been fibbing for months about how much binge watching I’ve been doing!) Check out the following titles to help teach your kids about lying…or not lying…or lying just a little bit.

And for the record, I’ve only watched three shows this month!

For your little kids:

For your big kids:

And for teens and parents:

Disclaimer: Curtains are Open is part of the Netflix #StreamTeam. I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with Netflix, however, all opinions are my own.

Liar Liar Pants on Fire…Netflix #StreamTeam

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