Why Kids Lie and What to Do About It

When it comes to boastful lying, there’s no better example than
Penelope, one of Kristen Wiig’s characters on SNL. Penelope is
incessantly popping up here and there, basically lying her ass
off. The purpose of Penelope’s lies appear relatively
straightforward. She seems to be insecure on the inside,
therefore, she boasts and brags about her amazing
accomplishments, constantly “one-upping” anything that anyone
else says.


On second thought, maybe there’s another fictional-nonfiction
character who does her one better in the lying department, but
let’s not go there.


This Practically Perfect Parenting podcast on lying focuses on
two key issues: (1) Why children lie . . . and (2) How parents
can handle their children’s lying in ways that encourage honesty.


Sara and John review many different motivations for lying. These
include, but are not limited to Penelope’s ego-boosting
motivation. For parents, it can be helpful to understand the
goals of your children’s lies. Obviously (or maybe not so
obviously), if your children lie because they’re afraid to admit
they did something wrong, then using harsh punishment with your
children may make them even more afraid to tell you the truth and
more inclined to lie and more likely to become even better liars.


Not surprisingly, in this episode, John tells a few lies. You’ll
have to listen to see how Sara handles him.