We Don’t Lie… Except When It’s Spicy

Every parent has told a little white lie to protect their sanity — or their snacks. Here’s a funny, relatable story about how “It’s spicy” became my go-to parenting survival trick.

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We Don’t Lie… Except When It’s Spicy

“We don’t lie in this house.”
I said it with confidence. Like a mom who had it all together.
And I believed it — until the day I had one last snack and three kids eyeing it like hawks circling their prey.

So I did what any exhausted, snack-deprived parent would do.
I looked them dead in the eye and said, “It’s spicy. You won’t like it.”
They backed off. I took a bite in peace.
And just like that, a new family tradition was born.

There are some things they don’t tell you about parenting:

• That snack time becomes a battle zone

• That you'll consider hiding in the laundry room to eat chocolate

• And that "honesty" sometimes has an asterisk next to it

Over the years, I’ve “spiced up” plenty of things:

• The last cookie? “It has coffee in it.”

• My favorite chips? “Too salty for kids.”

• That leftover cheesecake? “Definitely expired.”

These lies weren’t mean — they were necessary.

If you've ever pretended something was too spicy, sour, grown-up, or “medicine-y” to avoid sharing it… you’re not alone.
We all do what we have to do to make it to bedtime with our snacks (and sanity) intact.

And honestly?
I’d rather my kids grow up thinking salsa-flavored granola bars exist than have them eat the last one I was saving for after dinner.

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