Should parents lie to their children? Is it okay in certain situations to protect their young, creative minds from reality? Or is it setting a bad example to not tell the truth to someone who deserves knowing? What if they can’t handle the truth? 

Parents, what if they find out you lied, what happens when they can’t trust the role model that taught them everything they need in life anymore? What is a relationship without trust, or does a relationship even need trust? 

I don’t know; you tell me. 

When my mother asked if she had ever lied to me, and if she regretted it, she said, yes but it was only ever to protect me and my sister. “I regretted it, yes and no. I like to be truthful, but also sometimes kids don’t need to know everything,” she said. Then, she was asked if she thought it could ever affect kids now or in the future. She said it doesn’t show a good example and it’s not good parenting. She said it can affect the relationship you have with your kids; “It gives your kids the thumbs up to lie and get what you want if it’s only going to benefit you but not the other person.”

I asked my sister how she felt when her parents lied to her. She felt betrayed, and it took away her trust she had with them and that it’s hard to get that back. I asked if she thought it was okay to lie to your kids, and she responded, “Santa, yes,” but also brought up that if you’re lying to your kids to protect them, it could only make it harder for them when they find out the truth. I asked her if she thinks it breaks trust, and she said, “Yes, you’re stealing someone’s right of having the truth.” She also believes it can even cause trauma; “Trauma comes from experiences but it also depends on what the lie was.”

Lastly, Mrs. Chory was interviewed to get an unbiased point of view. When asked about lying to her kids, she said she has only ever lied about small things. Her children, having graduated from the same school she teaches at, would ask her about information that they shouldn’t be told because it was confidential. She said that the only other reason why she would lie to her kids is because of confidentiality. She said lying sets a bad example for your kids, possibly meaning that they could start too. Kids starting to lie could lead to  “safety issues,” she says. For instance, if they lied about where they were. 

Everybody that was interviewed had similar responses to the questions; but is it still ever okay to lie to your kids? Is it okay to lie to your kids to protect them or for confidentiality, or is it causing conflict in your relationship for the future? Even considering all of the responses, I still find it wrong to lie to your children.