Why It's Not Always A Bad Thing When Kids Tell Lies

Lying is for smart kids.

Lying is good for your children.

Celebrate because your child knows how to lie.

What am I talking about? Since when did lying become acceptable? It is not. We want our children to be truthful and honest. We want our children to be model children. You are not alone in thinking along these lines. I also held the same opinion as you until my attention was steered towards a research study undertaken by Dr. Kang Lee at the University of Toronto, Canada which states, 'Lying is a proof of intelligence in young children'.

The research further states -

Lying, which requires the brain to manipulate information, is associated with brain regions that permit higher-order thinking.

Those who have better cognitive development lie better because they can cover up their tracks.

It is very common: some 30 percent of 2-year-olds lie, nearly 50 percent of 3-year-olds lie, and close to 80 percent of kids lie at age 4.

Initially, it looked like any other research scientists come up with, every other day, negating the derivations from previous studies and holding true until some new study comes out with findings negating the present one. I would have actually bypassed it if I had not gone into the depth of it. I scoured through various articles, Dr Kang Lee's site and his TedX Talk and I actually agree with him now.



In my home, I often see my kid fibbing around with me and also with others. He may not be a serial liar but yes, he does lie and more often than not, I do not consider the lies serious. There are some lies where I catch him and there could be some others where I am not able to catch him. For instance, he might tell me he has washed his hands with soap after using the toilet (because I want him to) while he may not actually have. He might tell me he has finished two of the addition sums while he may have finished four. Or, he might go out and tell others that he wakes up at 11 o'clock during the holidays while he may wake up by 9 o'clock every morning.

Thus, maybe next time pay attention around the house when your children lie. They could be harmless white lies, which they might be weaving out of their imagination or just to have some fun. Applaud their minds working - they are simply getting smarter.

Can you be happy when you know your child lies? Well, you can.

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