You may notice that he lies about things that seem unimportant. If he’s not trying to keep himself from getting into trouble, why is he doing it? What do you do if it seems like your teen is telling lies just because he can? Telling lies for the sake of telling lies Teens who don’t have this foundation for the truth have the potential to simply tell lies when it suits them. Teens who grow up understanding that their lies don’t ultimately get them the results they want are much less likely to lean on telling those lies as their way out. Children and teens who are compulsive liars may lose their friends and damage the relationship they have with their parents.Ĭonsequences and taking away privileges for a while can be an excellent way to address lies. Explaining that telling the truth is more likely to earn trust and help to maintain friendships and relationships. Teaching your children from a young age that telling the truth is about respecting themselves and those around them can be a good start. He may even double down on his efforts to conceal the truth from you. If you threaten or punish too severely, however, you run the risk of simply reinforcing their drive to hide the truth. Taking a hard line when your children are younger can be helpful to a degree. It is about respect, and it’s about trust. Telling the truth is about more than facing the consequences of behavior or actions. The sooner you address the habit of telling lies in a child, the better odds you have of him understanding the consequences of not telling the truth. When your toddler tells a fib, you may tell him that it’s not nice to lie but may not explain to him just why he should be telling the truth. The concerns of not addressing lies earlier Some teens may tell lies to cover up their behavior, particularly if they are doing drugs or looking to control and manipulate their parents or teachers. It’s when you start to recognize the signs of compulsive lying, manipulation, and a sense of simply not caring about the consequences of not telling the truth. Your teen is looking to avoid serious conflict, get attention, or protect themselves and their privacy. This is normal for most of us, and while it’s not pleasant, it shouldn’t be seen as a red flag. They may cover for a sibling or a friend with a lie. A young child who lies is frustrating, but a teenager who lies could be hiding bad choices and behaviors.Īs is the case with toddlers and young children, most of the lies teens tell are intended to protect themselves from getting into trouble. Most children begin to tell fibs around the same time they learn how to talk, mainly because they want to avoid getting into trouble, or because they want something from you and know that a small lie might be the way to accomplish this.Īddressing their propensity for stretching the truth as soon as you can is an important part of ensuring they don’t get into trouble as they grow up. While we may all be guilty of embellishing or telling outright untruths at some point, it can become a serious concern when we’re faced with a teen who is a compulsive liar. Let’s face it, how many of us can say we’ve never told even a little white lie to spare someone’s feelings?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |