Lying is bad. We know this. But sometimes (earmuffs, kids!), it's the only parenting solution. And come on, we all tell white lies, right Mom and Dad?
From telling them that the Boogey Monster will get 'em, to yes, you can really tell whether or not they've brushed their teeth, sometimes little white lies are the only things keeping our kids in line.
To make you feel a little bit better: (just about) everyone does it. So we asked moms to cough up the lies they've been telling their kids to get them to behave, and well, parents, we're all just shameless!
Here are the greatest lies moms admit to telling their children:
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"Smoke detectors were Santa Cams, and if the red light was on, he was watching them and the elves were taking notes. This also explained what they did when it wasn't Christmas time. Santa hired temp elves to watch the cameras when the regular elves were busy making toys."
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"There are spiders under the tables in restaurants. It would keep them from going under them when they were toddlers."
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"Flipping the lights off and on will cause a fire to burn down the house."
More from The Stir: 16 Lies Moms of Toddlers Tell Themselves
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"If they're biting their nails, we tell them that the little pieces they accidentally swallow would turn into worms in their stomach."
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"In order to keep my middle son from putting things in his mouth, I told him there was poop and bugs all over that he couldn't see."
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"My 5-year-old is scared to death of the queen from Snow White. I have a contact in my photo with her face, and I text this contact whenever he's acting up. Changes his behavior."
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"When my son went through his 'loud phase,' I would say, 'Shh, you'll wake him up!' He'd immediately stop and ask who. I told him he'd find out if he didn't be quiet."
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"I swear it's chicken (no matter what meat we have for dinner)."
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"I told my son that if he kept being bad, all his toys would leave him and go play with good little boys because they didn't like little boys who didn't mind their parents."
More from The Stir: 20 Priceless Kid Quotes That'll Inspire You to Record Your Little Ones
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"I told my kids that when they lie, a blue dot appears on their forehead that only Mom and Dad can see. Every time they lied, for almost a year, they covered their foreheads."
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"There's a ghost in the closet that only comes out when they misbehave."
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"The ice cream truck only plays music when it's out of ice cream."
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"My oldest son (he was 5 at the time), said he didn't love me. I picked up the phone and called the 'mom service,' and told them I was fired and they should send a new mom replacement. He almost had a heart attack when the neighbor knocked on the door."
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"I told my son that if he didn't clean up his toys, ants would come in and steal them. He's 10 now and still believes it."
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"I told them the car would not start unless their seat belts were on."
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"I told my son that he has snakes living up his nose and that if he continues to pick his nose, he'd anger them."
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"I told my students and kids that the WiFi routers had cameras in them. I'd catch everything."
__More from *The Stir*: [18 Wildest Whoppers Kids Have Ever Told Their Parents](http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/183339/18_wildest_whoppers_kids_have)__
- "When you cry, it makes the airplane go slower."
- "Stay in bed or the monsters will come out from underneath and get you!"
- "Cartoons don't plat at night because the characters have to go to bed too."
- "The store doesn't have any more of that toy. In fact, no store does."
What's the biggest lie you've ever told your kids?
Image via Lars Zahner/shutterstock