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Honesty and dishonesty are learned at home. Parents are often concerned when their child or adolescent lies.

Young children make up stories and tell tall tales often. This is normal activity because they enjoy hearing stories and composing stories for fun. These young children may blur the distinction between reality and fantasy. This is probably more a result of an active imagination than an attempt to deliberately lie about something.

An older child or adolescent may tell a lie to be interested, such as denial of responsibility or to try and get out of a task or a task. Parents should respond to isolated instances of lying by talking to the young about the importance of truth, honesty and trust.

Some adolescents discover that lying may be considered acceptable in certain situations such as if not a boyfriend or girlfriend the real reasons for breaking up because they don’t want to hurt their feelings. Other adolescents may lie to protect their privacy or to help them feel psychologically separate and independent from their parents.

Parents are the most important models for their children. When the lies of a child or adolescent, parents should take some time to have a serious talk and discuss the difference in the middle make believe and reality, and lying and telling the truth. They should open an honest line of communication to find out exactly why the child chose to tell a lie, and to discuss alternatives to lying. A parent must lead by example and never lie and when caught in a lie, express remorse and sorrow to make a conscious decision to tell a lie. The consequences clear, understandable for lying should be discussed with the child early on.

However, some forms of lying are cause for concern and could indicate an underlying emotional problem. Some children, who know the difference between truth and lies, tell elaborate stories which appear believable. Children or adolescents usually relate these stories with enthusiasm because they receive much attention while telling the lie. Other children or adolescents, who otherwise seem responsible, fall into a repetitive pattern of lying. Often feel that lying is the easiest way to deal with the demands of parents, teachers and friends. These children generally are not trying to be mean or malicious but the repetitive pattern of lying becomes a bad?? No smoking. A serious repetitive pattern of lying should be cause for concern. Consult a professional psychologist for youngsters and children to find out if help is needed.