Dad defends telling 4-year-old kid Easter Bunny isn’t real

A dad has accused other parents of 'gaslighting' their children by lying to them about the existence of the Easter Bunny.

From the Tooth Fairy to Father Christmas, there are all sorts of magical beings out there for children to believe in, but dad Mathew Boudreaux, from Camas, Washington, doesn't want any of them stepping foot in their house.

Mathew's daughter Helena was just four years old when she first started to question her parents about the various characters who pop up throughout the year.

They explained: "There is an element of morality between lying and not lying - the second choice is the right choice. I'm not taking away any magic."

Helena's parents told the youngster she could play along with the existence of the Easter Bunny and his mystical pals if she wanted to, but she decided against it.

"For us we didn't want to have lies, there's a difference psychologically between pretending and lying- when it comes to lying you can opt in," Mathew said.

"Lying takes away a child's ability to critically think. We're removing the option of consent when we lie - we gave her the option to opt in to pretend."

The dad expressed belief that 'lying' can create 'a problem for the rest of the world who don't participate in those traditions'.

They claimed touting the existence of the Easter Bunny was 'global gaslighting', adding: "It is absolutely still bananas to me why those who choose not to lie are the villains in this story

"Just because everyone is doing it - doesn't mean it's moral."

After learning that her parents were behind her treats, Helena decided to stick with the idea of Santa and the Tooth Fairy, but give up on the Easter Bunny.

She still takes part in traditions like Easter egg hunts, with Mathew saying: "We will have a big dinner, make crochet Easter bunnies and do an Easter egg hunt."

The young girl, who is now nine, hasn't spoiled the magic for any of her classmates, but Mathew is convinced that lying to kids about the traditions creates problems further down the line.

"Honesty is the most important component," they said.

"Parents don't need to tell their kids any of this is real - they can choose to play make believe. We're having a blast pretending."