This is a follow-up question to the exchange in which you argued that it is okay for parents to tell children the truth about their previous drug use. Do you think there is any time when lying to your children is okay?
N.M., Miami, Fla.
Dear N.M.,
You can certainly tell small children that a ringing bell means the ice-cream truck is out of ice cream. But that’s about it, I think.
A friend of mine was recently instructing me on how I’m supposed to treat my wife now that she’s pregnant. He told me it is expected that I will buy my wife a “push gift,” such as expensive jewelry, once she delivers our baby. It seems to me with all the expenses associated with raising a child, we might be better off using that money elsewhere.
A.S., Chapel Hill, N.C.
Dear A.S.,
Your wife deserves a piece of jewelry. Think of it this way: If you managed to squeeze a baseball through your penis, wouldn’t you deserve a nice gift?
Friends of ours just had their first child and are reconsidering whether they should keep enjoying such extreme activities as skydiving and skiing in avalanche-danger zones. While this makes sense to me, I was surprised to hear that they are also reconsidering whether to fly on airplanes together, though they accept riding in a car together as an unavoidable risk. I told them I thought they were being ridiculous by ignoring data that say planes are safer than cars. Can you please explain the logic of decisions like these?