Deception in Kids &Ndash; How to Identify It?

If your child lies, don’t start panicking! It’s nothing but a part of normal child development. Recent researches suggest that a kid can start lying even at an age of two. The major reason behind a kid’s lies is to avoid some sort of punishment. Some kids also lie so that they don’t get into any trouble or to get praised by their parents.

Though lying is normal for kids, too much of it can cause problems. After all, you will always try your best to maintain the healthiest relationship possible with your kids, someone whom you gave birth and taught right from potty training to behaving in society.

What does deception mean?

Though people from all age groups may practice deception, children are found to be more prone to the same. Kids start lying a lot while under deception and that certainly doesn’t help creating a good impact of your kid.

Types of deception among kids

Different kinds of deception are predominant among kids:

Equivocations: Kids often make contradictory or ambiguous statements.

Concealment: Kids start hiding information from their parents related to a given context.

Understatements: This involves downplaying aspects of a certain truth. This is observed in kids who are slightly older.

Lies: Simply defined, when your kids give information on a certain aspect that is completely opposite of the truth, that’s lying.

Exaggerations: Again, this is a behavior that is observed more in older kids. They try to stretch the truth in this case, so that they are praised more.

Deception body languages

It is easier to identify deception among kids as they obviously cannot hide information like mature people can. Certain body languages include:

• One who is lying tries to avoid eye contact; this is applicable to kids as well.
• While lying, kids often say yes from mouth, but they start shaking their head horizontally signaling no subconsciously.
• A kid under deception often touches his mouth and starts scratching behind the ears. While lying, kids also start licking lips after saying something.
• At certain scenarios, kids try to place different things between him and the person to whom he is lying.
• It’s also important to look at the face of your kid while he is speaking. See if he is relaxed or has an anxious look. In case of the latter, you can recognize the kid to be lying.

Though aforementioned ones don’t necessarily mean that your kid is lying, if you observe these signals, it’s time to be cautious.

Identifying deception

• The simplest way of identifying deception is asking your kid to repeat the story he just narrated to you. For a kid, it’s practically impossible to churn out exactly the same story twice in a row. If you see inconsistencies in the two, you will know right at the moment that your kid is lying.
• When a kid is under deception, he tells stories that are practically impossible to happen in real life. In such cases, it is easier to identify deception.
• When a kid starts lying, what he speaks may sound rehearsed to you. While telling the truth, the kids generally look more spontaneous.

How to act as a parent?

• First of all, don’t scold your kid for lying. Try to make him understand that lying is not good for his image in the society.
• If required, you can take the kid to movies where the moral says that liars are punished.
• Ask him to stay truthful always. If the lies stop coming, praise him and gift something that he loves.
• If the problem seems to be out of your hands, reach out to some physiologist.
• Even if the kid commits something wrong, try to be patient and don’t be harsh on him.

It is important that you act just like a friend with your kid. Once he starts believing in you completely, he won’t have any reason to hide anything from you or tell a lie.