We've all been there. We look into the face of our sweet little child, the one we've loved unconditionally from their first breath. We see their bright doe-eyes looking up at us full of sincerity and innocence, and then what comes out of their darling mouth is a double whopper with cheese (definitely NOT made our way!) Realizing that your child has lied to you can send even the most stoic among us into an emotional tailspin--it's so hard to believe our perfect angels could do this!
And yet, it ought not shock or even necessarily disappoint you. It is a part of the human experience to sin, and it's our job as their parent to correct the behavior as we do with any other misstep our children take. Of course, humans are all different, so some children may fall into this more than others, but we need to use our rational minds to get to the heart of why this child is falling into lying and what approach will work best for them.
In my book, Commonsense Parenting, I discuss the need to use commonsense solutions to parenting issues like this. We had one child who had fallen into a pattern of lying, and the ultimate solution we found for him was sharing with him a real-life example of a woman from our church who was in jail for committing perjury. I was going to visit her, and I explained to our son what she had done to get that punishment. Of course, it was an age-appropriate discussion, but that example was all he needed for real course correction. He was smart enough to know that this habit wasn't worth jailtime!
The most important thing to remember is not to take this or any bad behavior personally. Kids are learning, and we are their teachers. That's the good and the bad stuff. Plus, our Father in Heaven is with you, and the perfect answer to your particular situation may present itself in a way you couldn't have known. So, be ready to adapt and keep cool even when your child is lying through their sweet little baby teeth. 😁
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