At some point, we must help our children understand how important it is to be truthful and not lie. Understanding what lying is can be difficult for young children to comprehend. Therefore, we must provide our children with an understanding of honesty and lying.

Around the age of 3, parents play a significant role in empowering children to understand the difference between facts, feelings, and truths. When they make statements that are not true, it’s not just a responsibility but a powerful opportunity for us to guide them by refocusing them on the truth. This process of guiding children toward truthfulness often starts soon after they begin talking, between the ages of four and six, when they start to grasp the concepts of language and the difference between truthfulness and lying.

There will come a point when you need to talk about honesty and lying. For instance, when your child claims they didn’t eat the last cookie, you can gently ask them if they’re sure. Asking can lead to a discussion about the importance of telling the truth, even when it’s complicated. Along with these discussions come consequences, both positive and negative. It’s best to start reinforcing honesty from a young age, as there’s no real difference between lying and honesty for young children. Our responsibility is to guide them toward understanding the importance of honesty, a crucial aspect of their moral development.

During this period of building understanding between lying and honesty, prepare yourself for a period of testing the boundaries. It’s a normal part of their development. Consider taking some time to play games involving being honest and not allowing them to gain an understanding without a consequence. For instance, you can play a game where you take turns telling a truth and a lie, and the other person has to guess which is which. Nevertheless, there will come a point where they think they need to test the waters.

The best thing you can do is call out the lie right off when you realize it. Provide them with an opportunity to correct themselves. You may have to face them knowing they are lying and explain how you know it’s a lie. All of this is building trust with them. Make sure you reinforce them when they are open and honest. They will begin to see the difference between lying and being truthful and will also begin to gain reinforcement toward being truthful.