There are times during a parent's life when a white lie is easier than most any other route. I discovered this last summer when Solomon developed arachnophobia. It got so bad that he couldn't sleep at night for fear that a spider might crawl on him.
I tried reasoning with him. We had never seen a spider in the house. Spiders are here to help us by eating flies and mosquitoes. Spiders don't want to bite people. On and on my explanations went and still he refused to sleep.
After a week of this, I was at the end of my rope. I dug out a bottle of Bath & Body Works body spray and told my sweet, innocent child that it was No More Spider Spray. I spritzed him, his sheets, his pillow and his bed frame with No More Spider Spray.
It worked like a charm. He was asleep within 5 minutes. For the next few months, any time he sensed that it was spider dinner time, he asked for the spray and I complied. Crisis averted. I felt slightly guilty about lying to my child, but bed time was so much easier that I didn't let it bother me too much. It got us through a rough patch and everything is fine now.
I had to tell another white lie tonight, though. Samuel just knew there was a monster hiding behind the shower curtain. Did you know it's impossible to brush your teeth with a monster in the bathtub? Well, it is -- until Mommy saves you with her magic No More Monster Spray.
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