A Reality Check for Parents: How to Teach Children Truthfulness
Not surprisingly, a parent's example has something to do with it.
Jody Johnston Pawel, founder of the Family Network, has offered some insights into why children lie and what parents can do to teach their children truthfulness, noting that sometimes parents accidentally model lying or respond to lies in ways that actually perpetuate the problem.
Explains Pawel: "A lie is 'a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive,' so even excuses we give to spare others' feelings or to get out of a jam, and fictional stories, like the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus, are all technically lies."
In a Dayton Daily News report, Pawel is quoted as telling parents that if they are really honest with themselves they will find that they lie more than they think. For example: Telling a child to tell a caller that they are not home, when in reality the parent is standing right there, or lying about a child's age to get them into a special event, or threatening a child with punishment that the parent knows full well they will not carry out.
Likewise, Pawel gives a four-step response to parents on how to respond when they catch their child lying. To read the article in full, click on the link provided.
