I always hate the inevitable interrogations when something gets destroyed, and nobody knows how it happened. But, I imagine the complete opposite would be even more frustrating:
Who broke this?
Me
How?
Ninja moves.
Will you please be more careful?
Probably not
Don’t you even care?
Not really.
I wasn’t a compulsive liar growing up, but like most youths I would stretch truths. It never got me in real hot water, but sometimes things didn’t work out.
As an adult, I’m pretty much as honest and open as I can be in any situation. It’s just easier. People prefer honesty over lies and it builds trust. It’s all about phrasing. When I find out someone has lied to me, I never trust them the same again and there’s really no way to get back that trust.
No kids here, but I’m your example, that’s the exact type of response if want to hear. From there, you can turn the convo to a learning moment about empathy and consequences. This is the ideal outcome from a bag situation.