Chuck, you bring up some really interesting points, both about how we lie and how we should help our kids understand the realm of lies and truth. The "earning our truthfulness" concept gives me a lot to think about. I don't want our kids to live in a world where they can't openly trust and be truthful with everyone, but the reality is that they can't. I wonder if maybe the key is teaching them to trust their hearts and their instincts about people and situations.

Meredith, "truth takes time" strikes me as such a deep, wise, truism. Maybe that connects with what Chuck was saying about trust—trust takes time to build, too, if we want it to be real and meaningful. I also think your point about giving our kids truths they can handle as they can handle them is a good one. I know that's what I'm ultimately doing (or trying to do) with my kids, but sometimes I worry that I'm just in avoidance mode. I guess that's part of the complexity, eh?

Natalie, thinking about this issue in the context of American culture and socio-cultural norms really is interesting. It seems a bit like a chicken and egg conundrum. Do people not trust others, which results in them telling protective lies? Or are the lies at the heart of the problem, causing the lack of trust? Or maybe in our culture we're just more practiced at justifying everything we do? Let me know when you figure it out! :)