Common Child Behavior Problems and Their Solutions (Why does my child lie so much?)

This month our topic is going to be on EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE

A few weeks ago, someone who follows me on social media sent me this message 👇

My daughter tells lies all the time — big ones and small ones. She does it even when it’s clear that what she’s saying isn’t true.  She’s a good kid, and I don’t understand why she’s lying so much. 

Why is your child lying? Why can’t he trust you with the truth? Why does he feel being truthful wouldn’t work for him?

Children don’t lie because they’re bad. They’re trying to meet a need. And they’ve learned from experience their parents won’t help. They’ve learn that sneaking is more likely to work. Punishing him for lying will just help him learn how to be sneakier so he isn’t caught

So today just in case there is someone that has a child that lies about stuff here is how our conversation went.

Mom: “My daughter is a liar, she lies about everything, I have tried so many things to get her to stop lying and I’m so tired of her lies”. She said

Me: I know your daughter’s behaviour may seem like there is nothing else to do and you may be thinking she is bad or a dishonest person. Let me start by saying that your daughter is not bad at all.

Children lie for 3 reasons : to get attention, to avoid getting in trouble, and to feel better about themselves.

As a parent, you need to find out the reason why your child is lying because knowing why will help you find a solution to the problem. 

When you catch your child in a lie, ask, “Is that what really happened or what you wish would have happened?” 

Help your child avoid situations where they feel the need to lie. For example, if you ask your child if they spilled the milk, your child might feel tempted to lie. To avoid this situation you could just say, ‘I see there’s been an accident with the milk. Let’s clean it up’.

Emphasize the importance of honesty by creating a household rule that says, “Tell the truth.”

Praise them when they tell the truth, especially when the truth could get them in trouble. Say something like, “I’m so proud of you for being honest about eating that cupcake after I said no. I’m still going to take away your iPad today but because you told the truth you won’t lose your game for tomorrow too.”

Model honesty at home too – Remember children see everything we do and they copy us! 

In addition, please dear parents, let’s make sure we come true when we promise our children something. And if we couldn’t, tell them why. Because kids consider this as lies 😀

As parents, when we know better we must do better.

Thanks for reading through and have an amazing day today guys 🤗

OLU ❤️❤️❤️❤️