This evening, my wife and I told a little lie to my father-in-law. We had arranged to stay at my sister-in-law’s house this weekend while she recovers from surgery. As my wife didn’t want to make her dad feel bad for not asking if he would also like to stay over after we all visited, we pretended that we would be going back to our house.

This led to a ridiculous situation in which we had a load of shopping sitting in our boot — including what we had picked up for dinner — for a couple of hours while we were chatting in the lounge. We were so hungry, but due to the lie, we had to sit there with rumbling tummies. He probably assumed that we had already eaten. It was after 9pm by the time we had taken him home, driven back to my sister in-law’s and made dinner. All because we didn’t want to make him feel excluded, even though it’s doubtful he would have batted an eyelid.

My wife often feels compelled to tell white lies in innocuous situations, such as when we are on holiday walking along a street full of restaurants that are trying to entice customers. She’ll feel the need to make up excuses for each person that asks us if we would like to dine in their establishment. “Sorry, I’m not feeling well” or “We’re running late for a show” are a couple of her favourite lines. I just stonewall them and avoid eye contact! It’s not that I’m trying to be rude, I just hate awkward conversations. I’m not sure which is the best approach to take.

With this in mind, is it ever OK to tell a white lie? Is it acceptable to be economical with the truth in order to avoid hurting someone’s feelings? My instincts are to say that we should always be honest, but I am sometimes guilty of this.

In my case, it’s usually to avoid embarrassment. When people ask me about something I’m not entirely comfortable with, I may choose not to answer this honestly if I feel that it makes me look daft. It’s a symptom of overthinking everything and worrying about how I may be perceived. The main reason for doing this is usually because I can’t be bothered giving a long-winded explanation for my bizarre choices. Maybe it’s just easier to go along with what others say and attempt to “fit in”. The irony is that by telling an unnecessary lie to avoid embarrassment, I risk making myself look foolish if the truth ever comes out.

On other occasions, my little acts of deceit are absolutely absurd. Even though I’m not doing anything wrong, I sometimes try to conceal the fact that I have eaten a big bag of crisps. I hide the empty packet and either brush my teeth or use mouthwash before my wife arrives home! I’m not sure why I do this, other than feeling shameful for devouring a family-sized bag in a matter of minutes.

My efforts rarely work, though, as she nearly always detects the lingering smell of onion rings or bacon rashers the instant she walks through the door! Maybe I need to start using air freshener to cover up my crimes! Does this make me a bad person? Or just a crisp addict?! Given that many people worry about their partners having affairs or indulging in excessive amounts of alcohol, I don’t feel too bad about secretly scoffing a 150g bag of crisps!

Returning to my earlier question, I stand by my assertion that it is always best to be honest; even though my wife and I tell a few ridiculous white lies!