Brutal honesty?

One of my favourite moments in cinema when Tom Cruise is having problems with his deeply unpleasant girlfriend Avery in Jerry Maguire. Just before she punches him in the nose and unceremoniously dumps him, she reminds him they had a deal in their relationship.
Avery: “Our deal was brutal honesty.”
Jerry: “I think you added the brutal part.”
Avery: “There is a sensitivity thing that some people have. I don't have it. I don't cry at movies, or gush over babies. And I don't tell a man who just screwed up, ‘Oh, poor baby.’”
Ouch. This brings me to my post for this week – brutal honesty in a relationship. Do we really need to be completely, 100 percent truthful with our partners? Or are there some things it’s okay to be a teensy weensy bit untruthful about? I would argue a few white lies are de rigueur in a relationship. For example:
~ Yes, you can go out in public with that haircut.
~ No, you haven’t put on weight over Easter.
~ Yes, that was great sex.
~ No, you can hardly see that zit on your nose.
~ Yes, you can wear that shirt with those pants.
~ No, I don’t mind if we spend this Saturday shopping for wedding invitations.
~ Yes – that gym membership is working for you
~ No, that meatloaf you just cooked wasn’t like eating toxic sludge.
~ Yes, I’d love to come and watch you play sport
~ No, I don’t mind if your mother comes to stay for a week.
Some would argue, if you can’t get the straightforward, down and dirty truth from your partner – then who can you get it from? Others, like Moi, would argue, if your partner can’t make you feel good, even with a haircut from hell and a pimple on your nose, then who can?

*** To lie or not to lie – that’s the question people…