How to Discipline a Child Who Lies a Lot

Children lie for a variety of reasons, but it's important to realize how often adults lie as well. You may lie to your boss about how far along you are on your project or to your children about what might happen to them if they don't eat their vegetables. Everyone lies to some extent, but if your child lies a lot, it's important to take action to correct the behavior. Avoid getting angry and yelling and instead try to find punishments that fit the crime.

Instructions

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      Work with your child to come up with the punishments. When your child has input, she may be more likely to follow the rules. Discuss why lying is wrong and what will happen when she lies. Take away privileges that mean something to your child--for younger children, this may be a favorite toy, but for older children, this may be the ability to go out with friends.

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      Create stricter punishments for lying than for misbehaving. Children lie when they misbehave because they fear the repercussions. When you make the punishment for lying stricter than the one for misbehaving, you encourage your children to be more honest.

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      Discipline your child every time he lies. If you are inconsistent in your discipline techniques, your child will become confused and may lie more often to push the boundaries.

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      Reward truth telling. Telling the truth is often painful. When your child does tell the truth, be sure to reward her with praise for telling the truth, even though you may want to punish the behavior that she was lying about.

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