Parents lie to their kids all the time. They tell them that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy are all real sentient magical beings, and then they pull the rug out from under them. That’s the type of lying that most people consider acceptable because it’s fun, and kids’ belief in mystical creatures keeps the magic of their childhood alive. 

Maintaing childhood innocence is a huge reason why parents lie to their children. In the Broadway musical Gypsy, Baby June asks her mother, Rose, «Why do I have three fathers?» Rose replies, «Because you’re lucky.» That’s easier than explaining the minutiae of why Rose has married three men and is no longer with any of them. I don’t know if the world would be better if parents told their children everything with candor in great detail. Although that’s not expected of parents with little children, you would think that courtesy would be afforded to adult children.