I hear this often, “I don’t lie to my kids.

This is said shortly after one party disclosed the dirty details to the child regarding the other parent.  Followed by the statement, “they have the right to know.”

1. They do not have the Right nor the need to know.
2. This is never appropriate.

But what about that parent, with their righteous indignation, who says, “I do NOT lie to my child?”  My response?  “What about the Tooth Fairy?

I get a blank stare.

We lie to our children all the time  A LiveScience.com article stated it better, “Parents Lie to Children Surprisingly Often.”  This article concluded that parent’s lie to protect their child and lie to preserve some semblance of innocence and childhood for their children. These are all good things.

The Tooth Fairy question gets that indignant parent every time. There is no good reason to “tell all” about the other parent’s misdeeds.  You should be telling them that the other parents loves them very much. When the kids are older they will realize the truth and appreciate you all the more for allowing them to have a childhood and to love their other parent, even if the other parent did not deserve it.

Matthew Thompson is a Child Custody Attorney in Mississippi and believes sometimes lying to your children is in their best interests.