In life, it’s called “the little white lie,” in parenting; it’s better known by its alias as “fibbing.” In either case it’s frowned upon and usually punished; either by a parent, or internally by guilt. Now when it comes to dealing with children who fib, it’s only right that both parties, parents and children, learn to direct their misguided words together, and focus on the long-term rather than the momentary reward that comes with lying.
Parents
It comes as no surprise that leading by example will play a monumental role in trying to get your kids to quite fibbing. Some things that you can do to help them on their road towards truthfulness:
-Don’t break promises: Your word is your bond to the little ones. If you break promises often enough, you’ll loose their trust and won’t be able to delegate time together as easily as before. Promises may be seen as a fib, told by an adult to quell the child.
-Try not to blatantly lie to others in front of the kids: If you’re having a conversation with an adult, and you tell an out right lie that the child knows is untrue, your demonstrating that lying is a part of every day life and is ‘okay.’ It’s not, even if the ‘white lie’ was told to protect feelings.
-Don’t let fibbing go unpunished: When your child tells you a lie that is obvious, it’s best to nip it in the bud at the beginning. Dole out the punishment then and there. If you discover later that a child has fibbed, make sure that the understanding is there, lying is bad, and there will be consequences.
Children crave learning, and parents are there to guide them on the quest for knowledge. Give them a guiding hand and show them the ill effects that fibbing can have not only on their character, but also on their lives.
Happy Parenting!
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