TPJ 41: Why Kids Lie
Hi, Fam! - A podcast by Avital Schreiber Levy
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Do your children lie to you? Or if they’re too young, are you worried they will in the future? I get questions about lying quite often, and in this episode we’re going to talk about why children lie and what we can do about it.
[4:13] Lying is a natural part of a child’s development.
[5:45] Younger kids sometimes don’t differentiate between reality and their imagination.
[8:04] They start using their imagination to attempt to alter reality.
[9:27] They start to lie because they’re aware of what we want to hear or to avoid trouble.
[14:58] Let’s try to be less offended and angry when our children lie. It’s part of growing up and it’s going to happen.
[16:11] We really don’t value the truth as much as we say or think we do. We lie to ourselves and others frequently.
[18:55] We even lie to our children.
[22:03] We often lie to protect ourselves.
[22:37] Our kids lie to us because they think we can't handle the truth.
[23:25] We need to model honesty.
[25:22] Let’s show our kids that we value honesty over smooth sailing (and keep calm when they tell us the truth).
[26:03] When they do lie, it’s important to guide them back to honesty without shaming and punishing them.
[30:56] There’s a powerful link between truth and trust, and it goes both ways (our trust in them, and their trust in us).
[34:25] We can respond playfully and calmly when we catch our children lying.
This will set a foundation for connection with our kids, creating trustworthy and truthful relationships for years to come.
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Show Notes: https://www.theparentingjunkie.com/41