If I had a nickel for every time a parent told me how their kid never did anything wrong and told them everything..... Did you ever do something you probably should not have when you were a teenager? Did you spill guts to your parents each and every time right after you did it? I can guess the answer to that, and what makes you believe your child is any different?
The fact is teenagers are masterful liars. Frogs eat bugs, water freezes at 32 degrees, and teenagers lie. It is just what they do. And, they will go to tremendous lengths to execute those deceptions.
My point here is not to blast teenagers, but to make parents aware that their sweet angel is not infallible. When they are unsupervised, eventually they are going to do something you wouldn't approve of and if they have a boyfriend or girlfriend at some point they are going to do something you're not sure they are ready for. As a parent, you need to be ready for these inevitabilities. No kid has ever said "Bye Mom, I'm telling you I’m spending the night at Brooke's house but we're really going to Eric's house because his parents aren't home and were going to drink all their liquor." Those things happen though and even the best behaved children are going to go beyond their own status quo at some point.
As a parent you need to be vigilant and suspicious at every turn. You need to be aware that no matter how good of a relationship you have with your kid or how sterling their track record is, at some point a teenager will work to deceive you. The point of that suspicion is not so you can bust your child and ground them, ruining their next two weeks. Rather, it is to protect them. Ultimately, you want them to be prepared for what they’re going to do in situations you would not approve of. Let’s face it, the day will come when they are going to be around alcohol, drugs, sex, fast cars, and nefarious people without you. They’re not going to give you a heads up that those things are on the docket for that night and that’s where the lie comes into play. If your head, as a parent, is so far in the sand that you never believe your perfect angel will be around these things you are going to lose the priceless opportunity to prepare them or prevent them from the consequences they could face.
The world is seldom as black and white to young people as yes and no. Experimentation with anything is usually in a various shade of gray so there may be some truth in those lies. It will happen though, and parents need to talk about uncomfortable subjects and their implications no matter how good they think their child is. Be suspicious and prepare yourself and your child for the worst. After all, he or she is the only thing you have to lose.
