It's important to raise children to value honesty, and to prevent lying from becoming frequent and consistent, the point at which lying is most troublesome. The first step in figuring out how to address a lie is to consider why your child is telling it. Is the child trying to avoid trouble? Save face?
There is some research suggesting that when children grow up in an environment with extensive physical and verbal punishment they are at risk for behavioral problems as they get older.
My daughter doesn't yet know about lying. When her baby sister screams from the other room and I ask her what happened, she openly presents the truth: that she banged her baby sister's head against the floor. For her blunt honesty, for not concocting a forged tale, it's hard to be angry.
The child's realization that you can't always read his or her mind coincides with the flowering of something we call Theory of Mind skills.
From a child's point of view, keeping some secrets, such as calling a boy or perusing a Playboy, can be a path toward individuation.
