'I was in too deep': Dad confesses to the 'harmless' white lie he's told his son for decades

A father has delighted Reddit users with a hilarious tale involving the animal affectionately known as the 'sea cow' and a white lie he's kept up for decades.

The man, aged in his fifties, revealed he has been lying to his son, who is about to turn 30, for more than 24 years about manatees being his favourite animal.

It all started when he received a gift from his then-six-year-old son with a picture of a manatee on it – and he didn't have the heart to tell him his favourite animal was actually dogs.

Instead, he's sweetly kept up the lie for years.

But things have now come to a head after the son's latest gift to his father – a trip to Florida to see the sea creatures in person.

This has come after years of manatee-themed presents.

Going back to the beginning, the father revealed in his post: "24 years ago, my 6-year-old son got me a birthday present. It was a mug with a picture of a manatee on it.

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"He got upset when I wasn't sufficiently thrilled with his gift. I assured him that I loved it, saying that manatees were my favorite animals in the whole wide world."

"Since then, manatee themed items have been my default gift from him. Manatee shirts, manatee calendars, manatee beer steins, and so much more. 24 years of manatee items, displayed proudly in my home.

"My confession is that manatees are not my favorite animal in the whole wide world ... year after year, I rolled with the lie because it was harmless and I was in too deep to tell him the truth."

Referring to the Florida trip, he said: "Now my deception has reached its zenith."

"My son is so excited for this trip and is telling everyone in our family about it," he said.

The father said he is "grateful for his thoughtfulness and love for his old man," and said he will continue to tell the white lie about manatees.

The post got 68,000 likes and more than 5,300 comments.

Many Reddit users praised his parenting and said he is a good dad for not wanting to hurt his son's feelings.

Others said for him to just enjoy the trip, remarking on how great it is that his son wants to spend time with him.

Some had hilarious comments, with one writing, "You're going to have to take this secret to your grave, I'm afraid."

Others commented on how great manatees are and that seeing them in person would make anyone like them.

"You will be buried in a manatee style coffin and smile about it. You and your son sound amazing," one comment reads.

Manatees are very similar to dugongs, which we have in Australia.

This sweet story comes after a list came out of the lies parents often tell their kids, including that chocolate is "all gone" and that their drawings are beautiful, which no doubt a lot of parents can relate to.

A Talking Honey Parenting panel also discussed how honest parents should be with their kids about their past, which caused debate.

"I'm the parent. You're my child. We're not friends. I don't have to be completely honest with you," Today Extra host David Campbell said on the panel.

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