"THE LORD DETESTS LYING LIPS, BUT HE DELIGHTS IN THOSE WHO TELL THE TRUTH." - Proverbs 12:22 NLT

Lying is a habit that becomes more deeply ingrained in your child's behavior each time they do it. The longer you let a lying tongue get away with lying, the more hardened your child's conscience becomes.

How many times has your child lied to you about washing their hands before dinner? Or making their bed? If they get away with 'little' lies like these, they will have learned lying is a tactic that gets them out of doing something they don't want to do.

Even if your child is 3 or 4, you need to call them out when you catch them in a lie. And you need to give them a consequence severe enough that they pause the next time they are tempted to lie. If a consequence isn’t painful, it’s not a deterrent to lying in the future.

You can also help your young child be truthful by re-phrasing questions they might be tempted to answer with a lie. For example, instead of asking, "did you wash your hands?" when they come out of the bathroom, say, "ooh, let me smell those clean hands!" This gives your child the opportunity to confess they didn't wash them, or to turn around and go wash them without being tempted to lie. You can use this with many situations; "show me how neatly you made your bed!" instead of, "did you make your bed?" and "let's look over your math homework together," instead of "did you finish your homework?"

Our kids are smart! Don't make lying an attractive option by letting it slide! Encourage your child to be truthful by explaining to them that you want to always be able to believe everything they tell you, and that lying breaks your trust.

When they are honest in tough situations, come alongside them and reward them when possible. This could look like lightening a consequence when they are up front and honest about a wrong thing they did and/or praising them for their honesty.

Remember what I’m always preaching: pain now = peace later! Stay on it, mommas!