Browse by Tags

• Kids Learn To Lie By Watching You

  There's an interesting article in New York magazine on lying. While parents cite honesty as the trait they want most in their kids, there's a few set-ups that encourage telling tales and denying facts. The author notes that children observe our socially polite "white lies" and essentially get the lesson, "It's okay to lie to avoid hurting others," which they then extend to stuff like telling us falsehoods about their activities to spare our feelings. There's also an interesting discussion of how teens perceive open conflict with parents as bringing them closer to the 'rents, while parents view it as destructive. You can see how this difference in perspective might encourage kids to at least withhold information. Even tattling gets the spotlight: We essentially punish kids for being honest about someone else's behavior, and send the message that we don't care about their problems.  But are all lies created equal, and are all liars just doing what they learned by watching you? Read More... Posted Feb 12 2008, 02:06 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: teens, discipline, parenting advice, New York Magazine, conflict, lying, bad behavior, social skills, mistakes, white lies, dishonesty, truth, problems

• Those Little White Lies Start Early

  When did you tell your first white lie? If you're like most kids, early on you learned the art of "social flattery", otherwise known as lying. Oh, it's not always the kids' fault. We tell them to do it. "Shh!" we whisper furtively to our preschoolers, "You shouldn't call the lady fat!" And researchers say that white lies grease the wheels of social interaction. Um, yeah. And we pretty much all do it, at least if we don't want to be ostracized. And it all starts at about the time we Read More... Posted Feb 08 2008, 05:04 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: preschoolers, lying, lies, white lies, flattery, four year olds

• You're a Liar

  Woohoo! Hey! Guess what? Turns out you and me, not to mention, well, everyone, we've got something in common! That's right: we lie. Oh, not all the time (if you can believe that). But at certain times. To certain people. In certain situations. Oh, and hey, our kids, they lie too! That's right, it's one whole big universal Party of Lies! And here's why:   Read More... Posted Jan 22 2008, 07:27 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, kids, lying, lies, social lying, white lies, telling lies, lying to kids