How honest should parents be?

[robvalue]

I think there are some things a parent should never give an honest answer to, even if they are specifically asked. Whether the response should be a lie, or simply to state that it's not an appropriate question, I'm not sure about.

An example would be, "Who do you love more, me or my brother?"

My mother (used to) just say she loves us all the same. I can see this is in some way the "correct" response, but it is exceedingly unlikely to be true. I suppose it can be true in a sense, but not in the sense that it is being asked. It is essentially a lie, but if instead you're told it's not an appropriate question, it's kind of an admission that there is a favourite. So I really don't know what would be best there.

My father on the other hand had no problem saying who was his favourite.