Jen asks :
Hi Lucy,
I'm a very insecure person, and often feel like I'm not interesting enough to hold a person's friendship. I told a lie to a new friend about my past to make it more interesting. It wasn't a huge lie but substantial enough. This new friend has become my best friend. I don't know whether I should tell him about the lie or not. I'm terrified that it will ruin our whole friendship because he will doubt everything I told him. I lied about nothing else and I know I will never lie to him again. Should I tell him?
Hi Jen,
Agony Aunts on Female First
Everyone has told a lie at some point in their life- but we have to learn to forget and forgive ourselves- or we would live our lives in permanent regret.
If he is your best friend and you explain why you told the lie then he might understand it. Perhaps tell him how you wanted to sound more interesting and that you are sorry. You can do no more than apologise to him if you decide to tell him the truth.
Does he need to know the truth? If not, it might be worth leaving this behind if him knowing is only going to cause hurt. That said, do you think you can sweep this under the carpet or do you think it will be at the forefront of your mind every time you see him? If so then it could be beneficial to get it off your chest.
Either way, as long as you are truly sorry for what you have done and there was no malice in it, then it might be time to accept you made a mistake and learn from it and move on.
tagged in Friendship friend yin and yang agony aunt
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