Focus on the number of times the child tells the truth rather than the lies they make. It’s important to elevate kids to a responsible level not focus on their shortcomings. If you have a chronic liar you might need to use a more extreme measure. Remember lying is a trust breaker which means I can not distinguish when you are lying and when you are telling the truth.

What would happen if you lied to the child who was lying for an entire day and made promises of things you were going to do only to give some excuse when they remind you of your agreement? Sometimes the only way a child can learn a lesson is to over saturate them with what they are doing to help learn the concept. The real learning comes at the end of the day when you summarize your decisions and begin to teach your child cause and effect.

If the incident requires retribution it’s important to train your child in correct responses.

It’s important to separate saying you’re sorry v.s. asking for forgiveness. Saying you’re sorry is for accidental mistakes and asking for forgiveness is when you do something mean on purpose.

It is equally important to teach your children the steps in showing remorse:

1. Walking to the person.

2. Looking down and saying in a quiet voice, “I’m sorry”. If you did something on purpose you are also required to ask forgiveness.

3. Asking for forgiveness means you are not going to do it again.

Never force your child into saying they are sorry since their response usually falls short of a remorseful attitude.

– Gene Bedley