All children lie, but not all kids are liars.
All kids lie at one point or another, however, this doesn't mean that they are liars.
There are different reasons why kids lie.
They lie as a fantasy, which is very common in young children.
Young kids like telling tales and stories, and this means that they are very creative.
This becomes harmful when a child has reached the age of 6 and can't distinguish make believe from reality.
Some kids lie to divert blame.
No child wants to be punished for the bad deed that they did, therefore they lie.
Kids also lie because they are fearful of disappointing their parents; they are seeking attention, crying out for help, avoiding stressful situations or imitating the behavior of the adults around them.
But worse than all of this is a habit of compulsive lying.
This means that lying has become a regular routine, and a problem that must be confronted immediately.
Studies have shown that many kids, nowadays, especially teenagers, lie consistently.
The teens lie about how they spend their money, if they have started dating other teens, and even lie about the clothes they wear outside of their houses.
They lie about the movies they see and the kids they hang out with.
Parents are particularly worried about their teens lying about the use of alcohol and drugs.
What is a parent to do? 1.
Be a good model.
Never tell lies, even white lies.
2.
Make your child understand the value of honesty.
Be patient.
3.
Never accept excuses for lying.
Lying is unacceptable.
4.
Your child should understand the consequences of lying and should learn to apologize.
5.
Let your child know that you hold value in the truth, regardless of the misbehavior.
10.
Tell your child that the act of lying itself is what bothers you.
11.
Praise your child when he is honest about something that might otherwise have been the source of a lie.
12.
Avoid nagging and irrational decisions.
Explain to your child that telling the truth is important.
You should take time to teach your child the advantages of telling the truth from an early age.
You should, however, seek professional help for persistent lying.
Children who lie persistently could have underlying problems.
This means that your child can no longer control the lying.
Studies have shown that children at around the age of 10 tend become much more skilled at lying.
Some personality disorders increase the frequency of lying.
Medical professionals may want to encourage the use of medications.
While this may help, I highly recommend you first work on solving the behavioral issues through better parent-child communication.
Drugs should really be a last resort, in my view.