The Parable of the Time-Out Step

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, is the biggest lie at a White House press conference that anyone expects anyone to tell the truth?”

Josh spoke thus:

A child was sitting on the time-out step.

“I didn’t do anything,” the child protested.

“You were rude to our guest,” the child’s parent said.

“I said he was a liar,” the child said, “He lied.”

“He didn’t lie,” the child’s parent said, “He said the dinner I cooked was excellent.”

“It wasn’t excellent,” the child said, “It was just good.”

“Be careful what you say about that dinner,” the parent said, “You’re already on my bad side tonight.”

“Do you think it was excellent?” the child asked.

The parent thought for a moment.

“Move over,” the parent said to the child.  The child slid over, and the parent joined the child on the time-out step.

“Why are you sitting on the time-out step?” the child asked the parent.

“Because I lied,” the parent said, “I agreed the dinner was excellent.”

The child shifted uncomfortably.

“You don’t have to sit on the time-out step,” the child said, “You didn’t say it was excellent.  You didn’t lie.”

“It’s a kind of lie,” the parent said, “Allowing a lie to go unchallenged is a kind of lie.”

The child and the parent shared a moment of silence.

“I didn’t allow the lie to go unchallenged,” the child said.

“No, you didn’t lie,” the parent said.

“So why do I have to sit on the time-out step?” the child asked.

“I told you, because you were rude to my date,” the parent said.

“It wasn’t my date,” the child said, “And I didn’t lie.”

“Hey you two!” the parent’s date said, entering the hallway where the time-out step was, “What are you doing out here?”

“We’re on the time-out step,” the parent said.

“I’m here because I was rude,” the child said, “Not because I lied.”

“I’m here because I lied,” the parent said.

“You lied too,” the child told the parent’s date.

“I’m sorry I lied,” the parent’s date said, “When did I lie?”

“You lied when you said the dinner was excellent,” the parent said.

“I didn’t lie!” the parent’s date said, “The dinner was excellent!”

The child and the parent both looked at the parent’s date.

“Move over,” the parent’s date said.  The child and the parent shifted over and the parent’s date sat next to the parent.

The child, the parent and the parent’s date all sat in silence on the step.

“This is the best time-out ever,” the child said at last.

The parent said, “That’s no lie!”

The child asked, “If I didn’t lie, can I go?”

The parent replied, “I think it would be a good idea for you to go.”

The child left.  The parent turned to the parent’s date.

“Lie to me,” the parent said.