How to Teach Your Child Not to Tell Lies
Children often learn to lie through interaction with other children and from the desire to impress others. Some children lie about small insignificant things. Other children lie about bigger things to keep from getting in trouble. My son used to tell little lies and then tell me they were just jokes. I had to set him straight about the difference between lying and joking. Here are some tips for teaching your child not to lie and helping him to understand why lying is not acceptable and often causes more trouble.
Instructions
Help your child to understand what a lie is. Some children are unsure of the difference between lying and telling funny stories. Explain to your child that lying is any tale made up either to impress others or keep from getting into trouble and often creates more problems than just being honest. Help your child to understand that lying is not a good trait and hurts people's feelings. If your child has trouble understanding what a lie is, simply explain that a lie is anything he tells someone that is not real. Explain to your child that he is being false when lying and that people do not want to be around someone who is false and you know he wants to be an honest friend. Tell your child the difference between lying and joking. Help him to understand that a joke is something you tell to make others laugh and that most people know it's a joke. Further explain that a lie is not a joke because it can often upset people, get your child into trouble, and/or make others not trust him. Help your child to know that a joke is usually harmless, while a lie is hurtful and can harm himself and others. Let your child know that a joke usually comes out in the end as being a joke, while a lie is something you cannot fix once it's done, except to admit you lied. Explain to your child how lies can hurt others. Help him to understand that since lying is not real, a lie makes someone believe in something that doesn't exist. This makes others look foolish, hurts their feelings, and makes them angry. Also, tell your child that lying always eventually comes out in the end. Let him know that because lying is something false, it's impossible to keep a lie going, and eventually it will be found out that he was not honest. This will help your child to avoid telling lies since every child wants to fit in and do the right thing. Tell your child that you know he wants to be a good person who tells only truths. If your child continues to lie, help him learn through consequences. Use punishments to coincide with lies. When your child lies to you or others, give him punishments by taking away TV or video game time. A young child will understand the consequence of lying by being given time outs. On the other hand, if your child is honest with you, reward him. Tell him how proud you are that he told you the truth and give him something he enjoys such as time with you, movie night, or even out for ice cream. A child will learn not to lie if he is punished and reward in appropriate ways depending on if he was truthful or told a fib.
