Real Parents Reveal the Most Hilarious Lies They’ve Told Their Kids and Why They Work

No one sets out to outright lie to their kids. But a little white lie can save the day—especially when you’re dealing with a small child who believes that putting on a coat in the middle of winter is incredibly offensive. It’s also a helpful tactic when your child refuses to eat anything that isn’t white toast or is gearing up for a meltdown in the toy aisle because they can’t have every single thing on the shelf. And the list goes on.

Let’s look at some of the most common situations where parents might resort to a small fib—and some examples of real lies from parents that will make you LOL and nod in solidarity.

Clothing Lies

Kids are surprisingly opinionated when it comes to clothes. They know what they want to wear, when they want to wear it, and how long they’re willing to keep it on. That’s why a well-placed lie can come in handy when trying to get your child dressed.

Take it from these parents:

• “When my toddler refused to wear a hat during the winter, I took advantage of his love of baseball, and said it was a special baseball helmet.” – Jen S.
• “My toddler daughter wanted jeans like her big brother, and I told her jeans don’t fit over diapers. She was potty trained in one day! Years later, my daughter saw a kid with Pampers poking out of her little Levi’s and said, ‘Hey, you lied to me—jeans do fit over diapers!’” – Erin Murphy, a professor and mom of four

Potty Training Lies

Potty training isn’t a fun experience—for parents or kids. It gets even trickier when you need to venture out of your home. That’s where Christine Burke’s little white lie came in especially handy.

When Burke was potty training, she told both her kids that bathrooms didn’t exist outside of their home.

“I told my kids that bathrooms didn’t exist in public but I would only take them out for short errands when we were actively potty training,” she says. “So, we would use the bathroom at home, head to the grocery store for a few things, and then head home. I didn’t force my three-year-old to hold it for hours on end while out and about, but I definitely lied through my teeth to avoid using a public restroom with a potty training toddler, because just no.”

Food Lies

Oh boy, even if you don’t have a picky eater, all parents know that feeding small kids can be a total drag. They’re finicky, messy, and just plain annoying to feed. That’s why almost all of us have have pulled out a lie or two (or twenty!) to survive mealtimes.

Here are a few relatable examples:

• “Child (probably around age 6?) was adamant about wanting a hot dog. We were having burgers. We rolled the hamburger meat into a hot dog shape, grilled it with the burgers, and put it in a hot dog bun.” – Diana C.
•  “Kid: No! I don’t like quesadillas!
  Parent: This isn’t a quesadilla. It’s a grilled cheese on a tortilla.
  Kid: Oh. (happily eats the quesadilla)” – Kate Manning, poet and professor
• “I put water in popsicle molds and gave the kids literal ice pops for dessert. They bought it for a surprisingly long time!” – Erica Kates, pediatrician and mom of two in Western MA
• “When my super picky eater was about six, the only pizza place she would eat pizza from went out of business. After a while of her refusing to try any other pizza, when we were at another pizza place I lied and told her that the staff from the first place came and taught the staff at the new place how to make the pizza exactly the same. This was enough to convince her to try the pizza there, which then became the only place she would eat pizza from.” – Jennifer S.
• “The yellow in the center of boiled eggs is cheese.”- Karie Fugett

Travel Lies

Going to new places with kids can create amazing memories—but let’s be real, the traveling part is usually a test of patience. Here are some clever lies parents told to make the journey a little smoother:

•  “[In the car:] ‘Mom, what does that sign say?’ ‘No more questions for 20 miles.’” – Molly S.
•  “We told our kids when they were 6 and 4 [years old] that we were taking them to a hotel with a pool. Didn’t reveal it was Great Wolf Lodge until we pulled up!” – Annie in Queens, NY
•  “I said that a spoonful of ‘travel juice’ would make my imaginative son go to sleep and have great dreams. Worked every time. He would toddle out if he felt scared and I would—very very carefully and with great ritual—pull out the unmarked glass bottle, measure the ‘travel juice’ into a tiny silver spoon, and watch with intense anticipation as he drank it. Then, kiss him and he’s sweetly asleep in moments! (It was just plain blueberry juice in a prettier bottle—worked for years!!).” – Milda D.

Tooth Fairy Lies

We all love the Tooth Fairy, but it’s, ummmmm, difficult to stay on top of her many appointments. Here’s how some parents navigated a missed visit.

• “When the Tooth Fairy missed our house, we summoned her back the next night by tossing candy sprinkles in the yard so she would know to stop here.” – Rachel Engel
•  “We have forgotten about the Tooth Fairy so many times. Once, when my youngest was in kindergarten and a lot of her classmates were losing teeth around the same time, I explained that there isn’t just one Tooth Fairy, there are multiple tooth fairies that operate on a neighborhood level. Since so many kids were losing their teeth at the same time, she was running behind that morning. While I explained it, my husband quietly snuck into the room and swapped the tooth with some money. He said he thought he heard the sound of bells, my daughter checked again, and we explained that our neighborhood Tooth Fairy must have finally caught up.” – Heather Q.

Lies of Convenience

Sometimes, you just need to survive the moment—whether that’s escaping a toy store without losing your entire life’s savings, or getting your kid off their tablet for just a few minutes. These “lies of convenience” speak for themselves:

• “FAO Schwarz is a toy museum.”- Liane Kupferberg Carter
•  “There is no Wifi here.”- Sarah Howlett, a mom of tween twins in Boulder, Colorado

Lies that End Up Bringing Lasting Joy

Finally, sometimes lies end up being enriching and unexpectedly sweet. Take these two wholesome fibs that prove that not all white lies are created equal:

• “When my kiddo was just on the cusp of being an independent reader, I told her ‘Under no circumstances are you to bring books up into your bed at night. Your bed is for sleeping.’ Within a week, half her bookshelf was hidden in her bed under a blanket—and she was a reader!” – Liz M.
• “I told my kids, ‘When you have the hiccups, you are growing taller.’ Made my kids relax about getting rid of them, they went away much quicker, and [they] were excited to have the hiccups. They are now 18 and 17 [years old] and I heard my daughter excitedly tell her 10 year old cousin that she was growing when she heard her hiccup.” – Dawn Leeson, mom of two teens

These are just a handful of the situations where parents have found themselves bending the truth—for their own sanity—and for peace of everyone within earshot of them and their young kiddo. These fibs are not only downright entertaining and relatable, but we hope they make you feel slightly less alone. Because, yeah, sometimes you just have to gloss over the truth to make it through your day. And that’s okay!