Well, from the time we're toddling around in pre-school through our entire school careers we're bombarded with "Honesty is the best policy, even if it hurts" yet the human nature in us says that in order to keep our behinds from getting into trouble (even perceived trouble) then we better lie to cover ourselves.
What happens when we lie? Well, we create an alternate story, an explanation, for what happened, or didn't happen. However, as a result of our imperfect memories and thought processes the truth and the lie can get mixed up in our minds and come out as a lie....
Well, what if I was with 20 people before I met mygirl/boyfriend, but I only said 8? Well, did you get tested for STDs after all these people? Does your new mate know any of the other 12? Any chance you'll run into them later and the truth may come out? The longer we hold onto a lie, the harder it is to tell the truth, and the harder for one to hear it too. If I were told a lie for 3 days it would be a lot easier to hear it were false then, than after 3 years...
As for me, yes, I do believe in being honest about all my past sexual partners. Some guys might not have liked the answer, but mine did.... and I didn't care about his past either... we both looked at it as practice to be with each other
It was nice to start off our relationship with complete honesty about our pasts. Had we not started off completely honest I doubt we'd be as happy as we are today. And yes, in the beginning we both had our
OOPS moments, in which we did something we shouldn't have. In my case, I was dishonest about it, but he found out and was much more hurt than if I had said something straight away. He told me about his right away and it didn't hurt near as much as it might have after some time. I learned my lesson, and was lucky enough to have not lost anything from it. But I did gain experience and understanding that for me, honesty is best... even if it hurts...