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Have you ever thought about all the lies

your parents told you?

Some may be pretty serious.

Others may seem not so harmful.

Well, here at Psych2Go,

we're about to reveal the truth

behind these seemingly harmless lies.

Here are some lies your parents probably told you.

Number one, I don't have a favorite child.

You may have heard your parents say

they don't have a favorite child

but according to sociologist Katherine Conger,

it's likely they may have lied to you.

Ouch.

384 families participated in Conger's research study.

74% of mothers and 70% of fathers admitted

to giving preferential treatment

to one child over another.

And it wasn't always the oldest child

that was the favorite as many suspect.

Number two, lying about serious situations.

Have you ever found out your parents held the truth

from you about something very serious?

Maybe your parents told you they were fine

when they clearly were not.

Some parents prefer to shield their kids

from the harsh truth of reality

but instead of explaining the truth in an easy way

for a child to understand,

they avoid the truth

or choose to lie in order to protect you.

Well, according to psychologist Kate Roberts,

that may not always be the best idea.

Roberts explains that it's more reassuring for parents

to admit the situation in terms that the child can grasp.

Parents can then talk the child

through their feelings about it,

while they process the hard reality, whatever it is.

They could have negative side effects as well,

according to Roberts.

She explains if children are repeatedly lied to

by their parents,

then they may begin to doubt and distrust

even the simplest realities.

Number three, Santa values being nice.

Okay, well, we all know Santa isn't real.

Sorry, kids.

As a child, we often hear phrases

like Santa values nice kids only.

Or Santa gives coal to naughty kids.

But did you know that according to a 2015,

94% of parents in America admit

to bribing their children

in exchange for good behavior?

23% admitted that they would act unethically

to snag the last popular holiday gift in stores.

And 17% of parents revealed they would indeed lie

to their fellow shoppers in order to get that new toy

for their child.

8% would knock down another person's child

and 7% would even knock down a senior citizen

just so they could fulfill their child's holiday wish list.

What is happening to humanity?

It looks like Santa rewards bad behaviors

in adults with the best holiday gifts.

Number four, denying their child's feelings.

You may have heard your parents tell you

to not cry or maybe they've insisted

that you don't actually feel that way.

Denying your child's feelings isn't a great option

and it's also a form of gaslighting.

According to psychologist Kate Roberts,

these denials are invalidating

and leave the child feeling alone and misunderstood.

And number five, I'm only acting

in your best interest.

Did your parents often say this to you

when you expressed how you felt

about their decisions?

For example, let's say you just wanna get a cute puppy

as a pet but your parents refuse,

only to spend money on their own desires,

a brand new car.

Even though they already have more cars than they need.

You express your feelings to them

but instead of telling you the real reasons

why they lied to you

with excuses such as it's because of your allergies

or it's for your own good

just to avoid the discussion.

This may make you feel

like your opinions, thoughts and desires

don't actually matter.

Have your parents told you any of these lies?

Let us know in the comments down below.

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