The Truth Behind Parental Lies

Most parents would like to think they never lie to their children, but part of the job of a parent is to protect their child from harm and danger. This means sometimes a parent cannot tell their child the truth, as it would be detrimental to them. Parents have the responsibility of keeping their children safe, thus shielding them from adult situations. Children cannot handle situations with life-altering decisions and having to do so can affect their health. When I was growing up, my mother protected me from decisions I did not have the maturity to handle.

The World Is Safe

The first lie parents tell their children is to let them believe the world is a safe place. Especially in the current society, the world we live in is far from a safe place. No one is safe, anywhere. Danger is lurking all around us and you never know where it will come from. Now, more than ever, children are a target for all forms of evil. Parents need to guard their children and keep them close. There is no guarantee children will be safe in places such as school or church. Criminals have no respect or hesitation to cross these lines to commit crimes. The boundaries which kept some of them at bay are no longer in place.

You Are Special

Parents like to tell their children how special they are, but it’s not true of most people. By default, if everyone is special, no one is special. We aren’t all going to have the athletic ability to be a professional athlete, the vocal skills to be a musical artist, or a talent with words to be a writer. Most people are going to be average and live our lives outside the spotlight.

“Everyone has a purpose in life and a unique talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.” Kallam Anji Reddy

There is much more of a need in society for the jobs which hold civilization together. These “average” occupations are the backbone of the country. We need good teachers, mechanics, and other blue-collar workers. There would be no essential items without people manufacturing them and truck drivers getting them where they needed to go.

The media often glamorizes the lives of public figures. They seem to have everything they could imagine. Photographers and journalists meticulously document every moment of their lives. It looks perfect from the outside and makes us jealous of everything they have. The reality is these people never have a moment of privacy. Everywhere they go, throngs of people follow and harass them. Their children can’t live a normal life. It is far from an ideal life. In exchange for money and fame, they give up their personal life.

The Big Three

Parents lie to their children about the existence of these fairy tale characters. They make the child believe an elderly man in a red suit enters their home and leaves gifts the child asked for. The amount and quality depend upon an arbitrary scale based on “good” or “bad” behavior. In recent years, a trend to use the idea of Santa Claus to induce positive behavior in their children. Another trend in this area is to leave milk and cookies for Santa and consider the reindeer by leaving carrots.

From an early age, the "Easter Bunny" is presented to children as the one who leaves them candy. Finally, parents convince their children that the tooth fairy will come while they are sleeping, take their lost tooth, and exchange it for money. These ideas are intended to encourage a positive perception of the related holiday for children. It gives them an aspect of the holiday they can relate to and participate in. It is a fun way to build anticipation and excitement.

Sadly, some parents take things to the extreme and manipulate the idea of Santa into a form of punishment rather than an incentive. Throughout the year, they use Santa as a weapon against their children, warning them that he won’t visit if they misbehave.

Trips To The Doctor

Going to the doctor is always an unnerving experience for children. They can’t understand when they are going for something simple, which won’t result in anything painful happening to them. Children only remember the visits, which were painful or frightening. Parents will often lie to their children when they go to the doctor, especially for routine vaccinations. They are acting in the best interest of the child and have to decide for their sake the pain and anxiety are necessary for their health. The pain and anxiety is brief and medical care is beneficial.

Parents lie to their children. It can be in the child’s interest to be shielded from exposure to things which would have a negative effect on their health. Children want to believe their parents are acting in their best interest and anything they experience which upset or hurts them is necessary. When children are young, they cannot process adult situations. They need their parents to make decisions on their behalf. Being exposed to situations they cannot comprehend can harm their well-being. Some lies parents tell are only for their benefit. They use concepts such as Santa to keep their children in line.

Children should be able to trust everything their parents say. Some lies are necessary, but parents should strive to be as truthful as possible with their children. Shielding children from avoidable harm or fear. One should carefully weigh the risks and benefits in any given situation and decide what is in the best interest of the child.