Even if they tell the truth the majority of the time, there are times when your Preschooler will lie. There are different reasons for why they lie. Sometimes, they aren’t even aware of why they do it. But there are some things that you can do that will help get them out of this phase a little quicker. If you understand what is helping to influence their decision to lie, then you can help them make better decisions about telling the truth.
One of the issues that has to be addressed is lying in front of your Preschooler. Preschoolers pick up on a lot of things easily. So, they often know when you are lying about something in front of them. They pick this up thinking that it is okay to lie about something. Even if the lie you told is meaningless in the overall scheme of things, your Preschooler won’t understand this aspect of lying. You really need to think about what you say in front of them even if it is over the phone. It is better to hold these types of conversations out of earshot. If your Preschooler does catch you in a lie, you need to address the issue immediately. The worst thing you can do is to try to explain it away. Instead, do what you would expect them to do in that situation, such as apologizing.
Another issue that has to be thought about is the line between reality and make believe. This line often gets blurred by Preschoolers. It is important that they are able to tell you the difference between stories that are real and stories that are made up. But there is also this balance for parents as well. Even though you want your Preschooler to tell you the truth, you also want to hear what their imagination is coming up with. So while you should address the differences between fiction and fact, it is fine to let them tell their story without automatically labeling it as a lie.
Siblings also play a big part in whether your Preschooler thinks they will get away with lying. If their sibling gets away with lying, they will think they can too. So, it is important to address this issue with their older siblings. Even if you think that your Preschooler is unaware of the situation, they may be more in tune with what is going on than you are. So, it is important to treat issues of lying with their older siblings to prevent copycat situations.
These are some of the situations that will send the signal that it is okay to lie. So, it is important to look at these issues individually and address them to help your Preschooler with understanding the difference between a lie and the truth.