September 2, 2026 • 5 mins
What if the biggest lie you've ever told your kids was actually meant to help them?
A local mom calls in to reveal a secret she's been keeping from her children for years: she and her husband have convinced their kids that the family is poor... even though they're financially comfortable. Their goal? To teach gratitude, responsibility, and the value of hard work in a world where they feel too many kids expect everything to be handed to them.
The confession sparks a passionate debate between Billy, Candice, and Producer Pooh about parenting, money, entitlement, and whether shielding kids from financial reality does more harm than good. Is this smart parenting, or a secret destined to backfire when the truth finally comes out?
Listen now, weigh in on the debate, and subscribe for more unforgettable Dirty Little Secrets every weekday with Billy The Kidd In The Morning
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Get it off your chest. It's Dirty Little Secret with
Billy the Kid in the Morning on Mix 102.9.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Brought to you by Mint Dentistry.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Okay, you got a secret? You want to confess? Bring
it on. It's Mix 102.9. Billy the Kid, Candace Lopez,
Producer Poo, and your confessions at 833-787-1029. No matter what
they are, big secret, little secret, confess.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
All right, so my husband and I have been lying
to our kids pretty much their entire lives. Okay. about
what yeah we tell them they're.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Poor wait seriously you tell them yeah they're poor you're poor.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Or everyone's poor well we are poor yeah you.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Do but you're not poor okay what.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
How old are they So basically our kids are five
and eight. We have a boy and a girl. Um,
and right now they don't really know any better, but
our plan is to just keep this going for as
long as we possibly can. Um, but the truth is we're,
we're not poor at all. Um, but we tell them
that we are.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Okay. So yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Why?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I guess why?
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Well, okay. So here's the deal. My husband and I
have really good jobs. We save a ton of money.
We could live in like a bigger house, drive next
to cars, buy them like, the kids, whatever they ask for,
we just, we choose not to because like my husband
and I both grew up like actually poor, like times
where we didn't know where our next meal was going
to come from. I started working when I was 12.
(01:26):
I would give my mom money to help out. My
husband had a very similar childhood, but like, even though
it was hard, we both agreed, like it, it built something.
And It was our work ethic. You know, nothing was
handed to us. So we learned really young that if
you wanted something, you had to work for it. And like,
I just feel like that's missing with a lot of
kids now. You know, parents give their kids like everything
(01:48):
they want. They constantly coddle them and make sure they never,
you know, feel uncomfortable. Yeah. And like half the kids
I know don't even have chores.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
I can't believe that they expect that they'll like eventually
they'll have to like get a job and earn their
own money. So we just were like, you know what?
We're going to do things differently. They have everything they need.
They have a nice home. They have like food and
clothes and, you know, birthday presents, Christmas presents, all that stuff.
They're taken care of.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
I was going to ask you, how poor are you?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
We're not that.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Poor, but we are poor. They like ask for some
expensive toy because like another kid has it. Like, sorry. No,
we can't afford that is the answer.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
If they want something extra, they have chores. They can
earn it. They can save up for it.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Okay. So there's a reason.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
But they don't have unlimited.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
But okay, I guess what I'm saying is, do they
have the other things that the other kids have? You
know what I mean? Or are they obviously... don't have
as much and that's strategic as far as on your part.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
They strategically do not have as much. They don't have
cell phones. They don't have video games. We don't do
a bunch of electronics. We just don't do that.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
I know people are going to.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Think this is messed up because technically we are lying
to the kids and But like, we don't even buy
everything we want ourselves. Like my husband and I are like,
we have like a panic room that's full of like
nice stuff that we're not sharing. Why would we teach
our kids that they should just get everything they want?
You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (03:14):
That's so interesting because I kind of do this to
my child too, because yeah, I could get you that, you.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Know, but I don't.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
But I also hear them talk about like not saying
we can't afford that to your kids because it gives
like a scarcity mindset or it teaches them, you know, different.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Like thoughts about money that.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Aren't healthy, which sometimes depending on the kids, I don't
know if that's a bad thing though, because if you've
ever hit rock bottom as an adult, you know, you
never want to be back there again. Right. So you
kind of put yourself in a different mindset and maybe
that's what it does to some kids. Like you said,
you grew up not well off. You were poor. You
had the, I got to work hard to get what
(03:53):
I want. I do see where you're coming from for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Now, Candace, you don't Enzo gets things, though.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, no, he gets things. But yeah, we do the
same thing.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
I tell put it off until, you know, Christmas or
I tell him, you know, he can earn it. He'll
do chores around the house or whatever, or we're trying
to teach him to save.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Now, I will say, though, you're about to run into
the biggest dilemma of your life. if you haven't already,
with the cell phone, because he's at that age. And
I know I say at that age. You think it's
extremely young, eight. But I'm telling you right now, nine
years old, ten years old, kids have phones. Yeah, my oldest, Chris,
I gave him a cell phone at eight.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Really?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
OK, I mean, a safety device or like a kid
friendly phone.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Like we're thinking about getting him like the Wi-Fi phone
just so he can call with his cousin because they
like to FaceTime now.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
She's in San Francisco. OK, so but a cell phone. No,
we're not doing that.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah. OK, soon. Well, I don't think what you're doing
is bad. I think, you know, your kids better than anybody.
And I can't tell you what to do and what
not to do. I don't think it's going to I mean,
it's definitely not going to hurt them. No, no. But
they're going to grow up and find out, oh, mom
and daddy really had money.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
No.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
And I think they might go, hey, I'm glad that
you did that because look, I mean, yeah. And as
the kids get older and they develop more of their
personalities and you see, you might adjust that plan a
little bit here and there. But I mean, I understand. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
No, I understand, too. No one wants to be a
spoiled brat.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
No, but I spoil my kid too much sometimes, and
I know I do. Same.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I'm trying not to.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
I know I do sometimes, and I'm like, no. Because
we have one. Yeah, exactly. I have one kid. He
doesn't have to share.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
I don't have to buy two.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I don't spoil mine.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
No, you don't. I tell them, get what you get.
Don't pitch a fit. Yeah, that's what I tell them. Okay,
and then you hit them? No, I don't. And then
you make them go pick out their own Switch?
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah. No way.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Welcome to Pooh's Little House on the Prairie. Well, thank
you so much for your secret. I love that you called,
and good luck with everything. You sound like good parents,
so do your thing.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Thank you.
Get it off your chest. It's Dirty Little Secret with
Billy the Kid in the Morning on Mix 102.9.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Brought to you by Mint Dentistry.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Okay, you got a secret? You want to confess? Bring
it on. It's Mix 102.9. Billy the Kid, Candace Lopez,
Producer Poo, and your confessions at 833-787-1029. No matter what
they are, big secret, little secret, confess.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
All right, so my husband and I have been lying
to our kids pretty much their entire lives. Okay. about
what yeah we tell them they're.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Poor wait seriously you tell them yeah they're poor you're poor.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Or everyone's poor well we are poor yeah you.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Do but you're not poor okay what.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
How old are they So basically our kids are five
and eight. We have a boy and a girl. Um,
and right now they don't really know any better, but
our plan is to just keep this going for as
long as we possibly can. Um, but the truth is we're,
we're not poor at all. Um, but we tell them
that we are.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Okay. So yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Why?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I guess why?
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Well, okay. So here's the deal. My husband and I
have really good jobs. We save a ton of money.
We could live in like a bigger house, drive next
to cars, buy them like, the kids, whatever they ask for,
we just, we choose not to because like my husband
and I both grew up like actually poor, like times
where we didn't know where our next meal was going
to come from. I started working when I was 12.
(01:26):
I would give my mom money to help out. My
husband had a very similar childhood, but like, even though
it was hard, we both agreed, like it, it built something.
And It was our work ethic. You know, nothing was
handed to us. So we learned really young that if
you wanted something, you had to work for it. And like,
I just feel like that's missing with a lot of
kids now. You know, parents give their kids like everything
(01:48):
they want. They constantly coddle them and make sure they never,
you know, feel uncomfortable. Yeah. And like half the kids
I know don't even have chores.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
I can't believe that they expect that they'll like eventually
they'll have to like get a job and earn their
own money. So we just were like, you know what?
We're going to do things differently. They have everything they need.
They have a nice home. They have like food and
clothes and, you know, birthday presents, Christmas presents, all that stuff.
They're taken care of.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
I was going to ask you, how poor are you?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
We're not that.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Poor, but we are poor. They like ask for some
expensive toy because like another kid has it. Like, sorry. No,
we can't afford that is the answer.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
If they want something extra, they have chores. They can
earn it. They can save up for it.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Okay. So there's a reason.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
But they don't have unlimited.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
But okay, I guess what I'm saying is, do they
have the other things that the other kids have? You
know what I mean? Or are they obviously... don't have
as much and that's strategic as far as on your part.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
They strategically do not have as much. They don't have
cell phones. They don't have video games. We don't do
a bunch of electronics. We just don't do that.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
I know people are going to.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Think this is messed up because technically we are lying
to the kids and But like, we don't even buy
everything we want ourselves. Like my husband and I are like,
we have like a panic room that's full of like
nice stuff that we're not sharing. Why would we teach
our kids that they should just get everything they want?
You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (03:14):
That's so interesting because I kind of do this to
my child too, because yeah, I could get you that, you.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Know, but I don't.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
But I also hear them talk about like not saying
we can't afford that to your kids because it gives
like a scarcity mindset or it teaches them, you know, different.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Like thoughts about money that.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Aren't healthy, which sometimes depending on the kids, I don't
know if that's a bad thing though, because if you've
ever hit rock bottom as an adult, you know, you
never want to be back there again. Right. So you
kind of put yourself in a different mindset and maybe
that's what it does to some kids. Like you said,
you grew up not well off. You were poor. You
had the, I got to work hard to get what
(03:53):
I want. I do see where you're coming from for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Now, Candace, you don't Enzo gets things, though.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, no, he gets things. But yeah, we do the
same thing.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
I tell put it off until, you know, Christmas or
I tell him, you know, he can earn it. He'll
do chores around the house or whatever, or we're trying
to teach him to save.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Now, I will say, though, you're about to run into
the biggest dilemma of your life. if you haven't already,
with the cell phone, because he's at that age. And
I know I say at that age. You think it's
extremely young, eight. But I'm telling you right now, nine
years old, ten years old, kids have phones. Yeah, my oldest, Chris,
I gave him a cell phone at eight.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Really?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
OK, I mean, a safety device or like a kid
friendly phone.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Like we're thinking about getting him like the Wi-Fi phone
just so he can call with his cousin because they
like to FaceTime now.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
She's in San Francisco. OK, so but a cell phone. No,
we're not doing that.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah. OK, soon. Well, I don't think what you're doing
is bad. I think, you know, your kids better than anybody.
And I can't tell you what to do and what
not to do. I don't think it's going to I mean,
it's definitely not going to hurt them. No, no. But
they're going to grow up and find out, oh, mom
and daddy really had money.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
No.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
And I think they might go, hey, I'm glad that
you did that because look, I mean, yeah. And as
the kids get older and they develop more of their
personalities and you see, you might adjust that plan a
little bit here and there. But I mean, I understand. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
No, I understand, too. No one wants to be a
spoiled brat.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
No, but I spoil my kid too much sometimes, and
I know I do. Same.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I'm trying not to.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
I know I do sometimes, and I'm like, no. Because
we have one. Yeah, exactly. I have one kid. He
doesn't have to share.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
I don't have to buy two.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I don't spoil mine.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
No, you don't. I tell them, get what you get.
Don't pitch a fit. Yeah, that's what I tell them. Okay,
and then you hit them? No, I don't. And then
you make them go pick out their own Switch?
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah. No way.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Welcome to Pooh's Little House on the Prairie. Well, thank
you so much for your secret. I love that you called,
and good luck with everything. You sound like good parents,
so do your thing.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Thank you.
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