I am a liar…

“Yes there is no tooth fairy.”

I said these words to my son a couple of years ago as tears flowed down his cheeks. He had been to the dentist a few days before and unknown to us had hid the tooth under his pillow without telling mom and dad as a little test. Over the years, I had always had a “if he asks I will tell” policy about the tooth fairy and about Santa. The problem was that he so steadfastly believed me that there was in his mind no need to ask. After all, why would his parents ever mislead their own son?

Oh there were signs of the trauma to come. Just a few months earlier in the car a boy had asked Conner if he still believed in Santa. The response was, “Of course I do. My dad told me there is a Santa and that means it is true. End of story.” My heart just fell out of my chest in the front seat of the car.

The point my son made about the tooth fairy (and Santa) was sound and unarguable. I started with the line about traditions and about how my mother had told me about the tooth fairy and every parent does it. He responded by saying that was all in good but did not matter. The fact was that HIS dad had lied to him and he had never ever imagined that HIS dad would lie to him. How do you argue that? He was indeed telling the truth and I was indeed a liar.

A funny thing about lying, we all do it at times and for different reasons. I want to be truthful with my son about life and at the same time have an obligation as a parent to shield him from the world when appropriate. Somehow that day I think my credibility went down a notch and in a small way Conner learned that you really cannot completely trust anyone.

What is your take? Where do we draw the line as parents when it comes to lying, tradition and protection?

Are there absolutes or are there times when it is indeed okay to not tell the truth?

I would be interested in your thoughts.

My first month on Twitter

Okay…

It seems that for more than a year now I have heard comments and references to Twitter. I am an avid Facebook guy and have had a blast over the last several months connecting with friends, sharing updates and sharing pictures. With Facebook, I was amazed at the re-connections I have made and the almost daily contact with many of my more active FB friends. I heard of Twitter but wondered why in the world I would want to use it since the updates on FB seemed to do the same thing.

The final push to start life with Twitter came from a blog post from my pastor Scott Williams. I go to a large church and reading Scott’s blog has been a nice way to get in the head so to speak of my pastor and feel like I have a closer insight into the mind of the church staff.

A month has gone by and I now find myself following 92 people and being followed by 68 others. I actually have a relationship or a history with all my “friends” on Facebook. Twitter is different in that I only really know a couple of people that I follow.

So why do I love it so much? Why do I feel so compelled to check it often and see what my “peeps” are doing? Do I just need to get a life? All good questions : ) Heck, now I am even writing a new blog since I seem to be the only person on the planet that is not blogging!

What about you?

Why do you Twitter?

Why should I keep Twittering?

I need your help!