5 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Never Lie to You
Before we even talk about how to teach your kids to never lie, lets accept that we all lie or have lied at some point in our lives. Maybe at some point we learnt or realized that lying was bad and then from then on, we may have stopped lying. However, it is difficult to find a person who never lies.
Nevertheless, if you can build a relation with your kids that they don’t want/need to lie to you at all, it will be much better for both you. This depth of relationship will take effort and investment with larger part coming from you.
Before we start, let me emphasize, no one needs lessons on parenting and while writing this article, we do not consider us as parenting experts. It is just that we have accumulated experiences by talking to many parents, reading and experiencing first hand and now we share this treasure trove with you.
5 ways to teach your kids to never lie to you
1. Don’t Penalize for Telling the Truth – It all begins with the first time ever they did something wrong and confessed in front of you to only realize that there was a hefty penalty for telling the truth while by not telling the truth they could have avoided the penalty. If any situation demands punishment or penalty, mask it or disconnect it from the incident on hand so that the kids do not relate the punishment to having told the truth.
2. Encourage Communication – During lighter times, strike a casual conversation whereby you can tell them that if they did something wrong, the easiest way out is to confess at the first possible opportunity rather than having to do many wrong things to hide and eventually blowing it out of proportion. It is easier to handle confession for a smaller mistake rather than having to face the embarrassment of being exposed after having committed a series of mistakes to hide that one innocent mistake. This works wonders while you teach your kids to never lie to you.
ALSO READ | 4 Simple Methods to Teach Children to Value Money
3. Find Solutions Together – If the kids have made a mistake and have shared it with you, encourage them to do so in the future too by trying to undo or rectify the mistake together. This way, you are not only encouraging them to speak to you freely but also teaching them how to solve problems.
4. Don’t Lie to Them Either – We practice what we preach! If we don’t want kids to lie to us, we should not lie to them as they learn from us only, at least in the early years, good and bad habits. If they find us lying, they will think it is an acceptable practice and start doing it themselves. You will then have a tough time explaining to them that when we lie it is ok but not when you lie.
5. Be Pragmatic – Finally, adopt a practical approach. You can train, motivate and coach them to not lie to you but expecting them to not absolutely lie to anyone is a bit too much. There will be some lying to friends, teachers and other people and everyone does that. If you suffocate them with having to not lie to anyone in this world, even at the risk of adverse outcomes, they will stop believing in the business of not lying and would start lying to anyone and everyone.
That’s it. These are some simple, yet powerful methods to teach your kids to never lie to you. If you practice them while being pragmatic and keep realistic expectations about the outcome, you should add you name in the successful parents’ list.
Happy Parenting!
