Ask HN: What's the boldest white lie you've told your kids?

2 rkagerer 4 5/13/2025, 8:04:33 PM

In a recent news article[1] Tim Draper described how "At an early age, he learned there is precedent in the U.S. for currency crisis when his father gave him a million dollar confederate bill that was essentially worthless."

As far as I can tell[2], the Confederates never printed any bill with a million dollar denomination. Closest I could find was a souvenir note for admission to the Atlanta World Famous Cyclorama Painting of the Battle of Atlanta in 1959[3].

So, did Draper get bamboozled, in that loving way parents do to their kids?

What's the boldest "white lie" you've told your kids, in order to teach a lesson or prove a point?

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[1] https://www.coindesk.com/coindesk-news/2025/05/13/bitcoin-will-replace-us-dollar-in-10-years-says-billionaire-vc-tim-draper

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_dollar

[3] https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=84940

Comments (4)

gmuslera · 1d ago

I loved Pratchett's Hogfather story about little lies. If you as child believe in little lies like tooth fairies and Santa as grown up you will believe in big ones like justice, mercy or duty.

jqpabc123 · 1d ago

I told my kids that Jesus and Santa Claus where real.

It was the only way to save their souls from the devil --- and science.

toomuchtodo · 1d ago

Monsters don’t exist.

reify · 1d ago

Never bullshit or lie to your children.

Transactional Analysis: Games People Play,

The Game: Waiting for Santa Claus or "Waiting for Rigor Mortis"

When parents lie about santa claus for instance.

your children will always be waiting for the next big event in their little lives that will be the key to their happiness and success.

That feeling we carry through of our adult life is akin to how we felt as a child, those few weeks leading up to Christmas day, waiting in eager anticipation of the toys we’ll receive that will make us happy.

We spend those weeks “Waiting for Santa Claus.” And just like kids we spend our adult life “Waiting for Santa Claus” too.

Or simply waiting for Death instead of living life to the full