[header] How to tell your parents you lost something [title] Try to predict how your parents will react. [step] If you're delivering bad news, it can help to try to predict the reaction you may receive. Before confessing you lost something, think about how your parents may feel about this. 
Have a little empathy so you can predict the reaction and figure out the best means to deliver the news. [substeps] What did you lose? Parents are unlikely to be angered by the loss of a small item, but if you lost something big and expensive, they may be angrier.