Experts agree white lies parents tell kids don’t scar them for life.

A study by the University of California, San Diego said 84 percent of parents lie to their kids, even though they teach their kids not to.

Experts agree that the white lies parents tell their kids don’t scar them for life.

In fact, the stories parents tell about Santa Claus and the tooth fairy can foster a child’s imagination. Parents often lie to inspire their children. The saying “you can be anything you want to be if you work hard enough” encourages tenacity, but not every child can become a pro athlete or CEO.

Experts say some fibs help boost self- esteem. For example, you can tell your children, “great game” even if it was the worst game of the season. The message here is they got to play, see their friends and have fun. Every game is a win, if that’s the goal. Many kids learn to lie by the age of three and most learn by copying their mom and dad.

However, if you are worried about your kids lying, some experts do say there are some positives. Kids lying is a sign of healthy brain development; showing that they can guess what people are thinking and know how to influence someone’s beliefs.

Researchers found that parents lie the most about food, spending and behavior. The most common lie occurs when a child is having a tantrum in public and the parent threatens to leave the child if they don’t behave.