Do You Know Why Children Tell Lies Frequently? See 7 Reasons Why (Part Two)

By Matthew Imerhion

Did you know research shows that about 96% of all children lie frequently at home? Don’t be quick to think your child’s the worst of the lot or absolve him of this wrongdoing.

Dr. Marie Hartwell-Walker, an author, a licensed psychologist, and marriage & family counselor points out in an article titled, ‘When A Child Lies’ that between 5 to 10 years of age, kids understand what it means to lie. Let’s see some reasons kids lie and thereafter, how to save the situation.

Continued from Part One

4. Just To Avoid The Dog
A child will rather take the longer route than face the dog sleeping in the middle of the road. That’s the same way other children will tell a straight-faced lie to avoid doing something they don’t want to do. Junior could lie about having to do more homework because he wants to avoid going outside to play, since he gets bullied by the neighbor’s daughter. On the flip side, he could lie about having completed his homework because his favorite cartoon is showing on TV.

5. I’m Cool Like That
As kids get older and spend more time with their friends, they become open to new nuances and ways of doing things. Kids with stronger influences will try to set standards for them to meet and failure to do so will may brand them, “un-cool”. If your child lacks enough self confidence, she will have to lie to these friends and engage in deviant behaviours just to be seen as ‘cool.’ Of course, she will also lie to you to protect her friends. Keep tabs on your child’s social circle.

6. Elbow Room
Some parents can be over protective, and why not? After enduring nine months of carrying them in your tummy, pain and cost incurred on their behalf, and the love who wouldn’t be? We feel you, dear over-protective parent but you have to understand that at that age, they have all the energy in the world and they have to expend it. They will come up with increasingly clever lies to escape your restrictions and the consequences of escaping the restrictions. What to do? Allow them run wild and free like Tarzan and Jane in the jungle or keep reading Motherhood In-style to find out effective ways to manage your budding offspring? You tell me.

7. The Biggest Reason: YOU
An insightful man once observed that children are born with innocence and purity but become contaminated by the imperfections that surround them.
It’s easy to berate a child about lying, this minute and then next, you lie to a friend in your child’s presence while her ears are still ringing from your strong remarks. And when they point out the obvious, do you shut them up? Yet, you punish and scold them when they lie. All that spanking and scolding might generate silent rebellion, sarcasm or smarter lies from your child.