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I'd probably lie about both of those things. Is that bad?

We have a no lying policy in our house which includes things like Santa, tooth fairy, Easter bunny, etc. I believe that even small lies root untrust & as DS grows up I want him to be able to trust us.... I've seen so many teens not go to their parents because of lack of trust.

After DS recently came home from his bio dads he told me that his dad said I ruined his life & stole his childhood. When I asked DS is he agreed he said "yes! *insert ugly look*" so we talked about it & I asked DS if he preferred for me to lie to him about it... He thought about for a sec & his whole demeanor changed. He said no & he understood.

Even though DS is only 7 there have already been numerous times where someone told him something, he saw something, etc where he knew he could come to us & talk about it because "I know you don't lie to me & you tell the truth so you'll tell me the right thing or you'll find it"

There is a whole world trying to deceive my kids, I want them to know that no matter what may be told/done to them they will always find truth & honesty at home just my thoughts on it

ETA: of course everything is explained in an age appropriate manner & somethings are briefly explained ending with

"as you get older you'll understand more but for now this is the best way we can explain it so you'll understand."

DS usually responds with "okay" & carries on. If he still wonders he may come back for clarification or such but usually he gets it.

I'm not going to tell my kids that santa is real. I personally have never understood the fun in teaching kids about santa. As a christian I grew up understanding that santa was a fun fictional character but that christmas was really about the birth of Christ, rather than about santa, reindeer and presents. I want my kids to understand that right from start too.

ETA, there is one thing to tell a lie about no batteries but telling a kid that santa is real is not a little lie, its quite a big lie thats supported by the media and the entire world really. Its a big deal to most kids, and most kids are very upset when they realize that there is no santa.

I don't believe in lying to my children--no santa, easter bunny, tooth fairy, etc.

@runsyellowlites: Excellent answer, when I have kids I hope to raise them in a household like that!

So here's another issue with lying... sometimes it's really hard to create surprises without some lying.
I am the queen of spoilers, so I would always prefer to be in-the-know, but my husband LOVES surprises and 100% supports me lying to him in order to preserve a good surprise. (He does this to me too, but I don't have the appreciation. He was in charge of planning our honeymoon and he had me totally convinced we were going on a cruise around Florida- which, um, isn't so great for a couple who doesn't love the outdoors and gets motion sick- before he surprised me with tickets to Bangkok).
If I have a kid who gets a kick out of surprises, I have no problem being like "Hmm, I'm not sure if Santa is getting you a bike for Christmas" and then "Oh look! A bike!"

Oh I would never ruin the magic and excitement that comes from Santa, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny and the like. Has anyone here really felt like they had a traumatic or life altering experience when they found out Santa wasn't real? I learned from my sister and had a flash of disappointment and surprise and then went to unwrap my gifts haha I have yet to see any study linking not allowing those fables and fairytales and your child coming to you with problems later in life.

@runsyellowlights That sounds like a deeper problem to me. I think most kids figure it out before the parents realize and pretend to believe for the parents sake. On that note, I do hope that you would make sure your child says nothing and lies to his/her friends so as not to ruin the magic for other children.

I totally tell my child we don't have anymore batteries when they run out... and she believes in Santa.

My mom told me white lies (Santa, "oops, no more gum in my purse!", etc.) and I find her to be one of the most honest and trustworthy people I know. I guess that's anecdotal evidence, but I have never met anyone who experienced anything to the extreme contrary. I'm not worried about it and will tell my kids harmless lies if appropriate. I don't think you should use them out of lazy parenting, though.