How to teach kids to be more truthful

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One of the eventual challenges parents face is when their children lie, which can be a huge problem for a child's fundamental character-building.

As a parent, it can be difficult not to get angry or anxious when your child lies to you. But there are ways of working through this situation without assigning labels on your children, says Joseph Cianciotto. Labels like "liar" have a way of sticking to your child's consciousness for a very long time, and when their sense of self-worth gets deflated because you always call him such, he might not heal from a deep psychological wound that remains.

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A lie is essentially a violation of trust, and it may be irritating sometimes to any parent. However, remember not to remind your child of his past transgressions when you reprimand him for a recent lie. When you scold a child, do it once and put it to rest, notes Joseph Cianciotto. Let your child know that everyone makes mistakes sometimes, but there's no need to rub it in profusely constantly. They'll feel much better about themselves in the long run if they don't have to be reminded of their past failures constantly.

Reinforce this good behavior by teaching them that they will never be in trouble for telling the truth. Tell them how honesty has helped you or someone they know. Remember that honesty is just as important as any other lesson you teach your kids because lying can have severe consequences, especially when practiced repeatedly over time.



Joseph Cianciotto used to be the executive creative director at Translation. He now maintains a blog wherein he offers family advice. For more information, visit this page.