How to stop lying? It’s a challenge to provide an answer to this question. We have all come from our childhood with one thing in common – lies. Mom would tell us that Santa was real. A teacher would say that we’ll just ‘run around’ for our test, which is no big deal. And on and on and on.
We don’t want to encourage lying, and it’s not easy to raise honest children from the start, but there are ways you can help your child develop a habit of being honest and discourage them from dishonesty in their day-to-day lives.
As parents, we want our kids to be honest. But the fact is, they’re not. And it is a challenge to stop compulsive lying in children. Fortunately, there are some ways you can help turn your kid into an honest person—and it’s easier than you think! Here are some tips on how to stop lying:
Contents
1. Talk to Your Child
Talking to your child is a crucial step in fostering honesty and transparency. It’s essential to have open and honest communication with your child about the importance of telling the truth and the consequences of lying. Encourage your child to be open and transparent with you, and make it clear that you will not punish them for telling the truth.
2. Be Honest with Your Children
Honesty is one of the most significant answers to “how to stop lying”. Model honesty yourself by being honest with your children about everything from traffic tickets to your feelings about their friends and teachers.
3. Tell Them Stories
Encourage them to see the consequences of lying by telling them stories about kids who got caught in lies and had terrible things happen (for example, a friend whose parents grounded her after she lied about having permission from them to go out). You can also check this list to find valuable books on lying.
4. Give Real Life Examples
Talk about situations where lying might come up in real life (for example, when someone asks if a classmate has done something wrong).
5. Teach Them to Use Alternative Answers
Help them devise alternative ways of responding when faced with situations that could lead them toward lying (for example, saying “I don’t know” instead.)
6. Praise Your Child
Reinforce honesty by praising your child when they tell the truth and taking away privileges when they lie, especially if it’s something small like fibbing about candy or dessert at dinner (you can’t take their allowance away for lying about eating cookies) but also if it’s something more severe like stealing money from their piggy bank or lying about who broke the window in the house (if your child breaks something valuable and lies about it, they need to be held accountable)
7. Trust Them
Make sure your child knows that you trust them by acknowledging what they’ve done right and giving them positive feedback whenever they’re honest with you; this will encourage them to continue being honest because they know you’ll appreciate the effort!
8. Don’t Make Excuses for Your Kids’ Behavior
If they get caught lying, don’t try to justify what they did or tell them why it wasn’t as bad as it sounds on paper. Instead, help them understand why lying is wrong and that there are better ways to handle things in the future if they feel lying would be easier than telling the truth (like using humor instead).
Conclusion
Honest children aren’t born; they’re raised. So, if you’ve got a little liar on your hands whose tongue is getting them into trouble and who appears to lack the ability to distinguish fact from fiction, try implementing these tips on how to stop lying to teach your child, to be honest.
At DeeCyDa, we offer several valuable programs, including The Butterfly Program, in which we have developed a curriculum through play-based learning and socialization programs. If you want your child to be encouraged to flourish in a safe and loving environment, give us a call today.
References:
https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/behaviour/common-concerns/lies
https://www.verywellfamily.com/steps-help-child-stop-lying-tell-the-truth-1094945