Baldo by Hector D. Cantú and Carlos Castellanos for June 27, 2020

interestante

I believe some would say it has to do with the magnitude or the purpose of the deception.

If you don’t want your child to lie then don’t fib to them….

Also, if you want your child to trust you 100% then don’t fib to them, because they will find out. Every little fib, however small, will destroy a little bit of trust.

I think it normal to fib to a child. A lie about something inconsequential is even acceptable if it is not their concern….better than saying “None of your business!”. For instance, if your ten year old were to ask you “How much money do you make?”, what is the best response. Additionally, lying to a child will help them understand how Politicians operate.

Now there’s moral guidance worthy of Adam Newman!

Later, as he slept, Gracie crept in to Sergio’s room and hit him in the head repeatedly with a sock full of rocks.

Now THAT is a prime example of a philosophical discussion involving casuistry! ( definition- Holding to the LETTER of something the law while ignoring the SPIRIT of the law.)

A fib is a nice kind of lie….one told as to not hurt someone’s feelings. Someone shows you their new car. You hate it. You can’t say that; they are beaming with pride and chose to share their feelings with you. You must answer along the lines of, “Wow! great car!!” What else can you say? “Ugh! Why in the name of God did you chose THAT car/color/model?” No, you can’t say that. It would be rude and make you look like a jerk. You MUST say something nice. That is fibbing. A lie has a connotation of something more sinister and usually told to protect oneself at the expense of others. “I did NOT steal the money” (when you did). A fib protects OTHERS against one’s selfish feelings. “I hate that car”. (Who CARES if you do? Only YOU).

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

- Mark Twain’s Own Autobiography

And Cantu and Castellanos do use the term “fib” in the True Mentiras segments (“Fibs your parents told you as a child.”)

1) According to Sergio’s definition, from his point of view, he’s told her a “fib”, but from Gracie’s point of view, it’s a lie.

2) From the comments here, it’s clear that there are many different opinions (rationalizations?) of the “difference”.

3) My own point of view: If somebody calls something a “fib”, they want you to feel that it’s OK for them to lie.

Sort of like Do as I say, Not as I do.

I hated that Santa and Tooth Fairy lies rubbish. It was nearly impossible not to lie regularly, and caused more trouble than it solved. When your middle child says, “If Santa is magic, he can make me wings that will let me really fly” and is disappointed year after year, it doesn’t really add to the magic. Maybe that is a hill I should have died on. Sounds like you all (who have kids) avoided it, and I’m impressed, but the rest of the family was all for it.