Parental lies can vary from funny to tragic, such as pretending to be financially comfortable while sacrificing personal needs for children's security. The complexities of lying to children are demonstrated in the movie 'Life is Beautiful,' where a father fabricates a game to protect his son from the horrors of the Holocaust, highlighting the gray area in the debate over lying to children to shield them from fear or provide a sense of security and love in a cruel world.
Why do we tell kids that a fairy will give them cash in exchange for their teeth? How should we talk to them about scary things in the world? And is Mike one of the greatest operatic tenors of all time?
- RESOURCES:
- "Parenting by Lying," by Peipei Setoh, Petrina Hui Xian Low, Gail D. Heyman, and Kang Lee (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2024).
- "Should You Always Tell Your Kids the Truth? It Depends," by Laura Wheatman Hill (CNN, 2021).
- "Parenting by Lying in Childhood Is Associated With Negative Developmental Outcomes in Adulthood," by Peipei Setoh, Siqi Zhao, Rachel Santos, Gail D. Heyman, and Kang Lee (Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2020).
- "The Santa Lie," by Melinda Wenner Moyer (2012).