That sounds tied to environment or personal insecurity. Being wrong and failing can be okay so long as 1) you're okay with it yourself, and 2) the people who are relevant to you being successful are okay with it.
And I think to answer the parent's question one can expand on your second point. I think most people don't admit to being wrong or not knowing because they 1). wrongly think of certain people as relevant or 2). they have chosen their relevant people wrongly.