How many of us only tell the truth to our partner when absolutely necessary? I talked to someone today who was in a fender bender 6 months ago. She was driving down the street when the woman in front of her slammed on her brakes. She hit her. They stopped and checked for damage. The woman who was hit had no damage. My friend had a small dent. They exchanged information and drove off. Last week (a full 6 months later) my friend was stopped by a policeman for speeding. When the policeman checked her record, he told her that her license had been suspended. Luckily, she had her small child in the car so the officer let her drive home with the understanding that she’d contact DMV in the morning. Imagine her surprise when she found out her license had been suspended due to an unreported accident resulting in an injury! But that wasn’t the worst part. She had explained the small dent in her car to her husband as someone probably hitting her in a parking lot while she was shopping. Oops. Now she had to tell him the truth, the whole truth. Why? Well, not only was her license suspended, but her husband’s license could be taken away as she was driving his car.
How common is it to tell a lie if we think we can get away with it? And why do we feel the need? Fear? Embarrassment? I remember taking our brand new car out for the first time and backing into a mailbox. I was 22 and newly married. When I got home I didn’t say a word. My husband noticed the dent the next morning when he got in the car to drive to work. He was furious. I’m not sure I ever copped to the truth. I was way too scared.
What else do women commonly lie about? The most common lie I hear is women who hide new clothes for a couple weeks. When they finally wear the new clothing and their husband asks, they simply reply: no, this isn’t new. I’ve had it awhile. (Well, it’s kinda true.) I have to admit, I’ve been there. So glad that’s all in my past. It’s way too stressful.
