Lying is bad. At least that's what they tell you from a young age. But as controversial as it may sound, sometimes lies are necessary - even from the people who are supposed to teach kids right from wrong. You see, parenting is difficult. You've got these annoying critters hanging around 24/7, and they always seem to want things that are either bad for them or prevent you from having a good time. The thing is, they've got some pretty malleable brains. They're still learning about how the world works. And sometimes, as a parent, you need to take advantage.
Twitter user @GeorgePointon_ asked the parents who follow him to share the fibs they tell to keep themselves sane. Think "there's marmite in chocolate." The lies are mostly innocent, though in some cases (ice cream trucks are singing buses) we think there will be some residual resentment when the kids wise up to the farces. We've rounded up the best responses below, but there are loads more where they came from. And if you're a parent, you may actually learn something useful.
