​Is Lying Actually Good for Kids?

The next time your child vehemently denies eating any candy (even though the chocolate smeared on her face tells a different story) or says “It wasn’t me!” while standing next to the shards of what used to be your favorite vase, don’t panic. According to researchers, catching your child telling tall tales marks a key milestone in their cognitive development. Dr. Kang Lee, a professor at the University of Toronto, has spent more than two decades studying how and why kids lie and is convinced that the emergence of such behavior in toddlers should be a cause for celebration, not alarm. He considers the behavior a reassuring sign that kids’ cognitive growth is on the right track and that it doesn’t necessarily indicate that they’re primed for a lifetime of trouble. Small Kids, Tall Tales If you’re constantly floored by your kid’s blatant deception and worry that he or she will be a pathological liar by the time they hit adolescence, this should put your mind at ease: It’s perfectly normal childhood behavior. Even more comforting is the realization that most children tell fibs at some point. Research shows that kids start lying at a very young age, with 30 percent of verbal 2-year-olds giving it a go. By age 3 about half of them are doing it and at age 4 the number goes up to 80 percent. By the time kids get to ages 5 to 7 nearly all of them can pull off a convincing lie. So your kids are in good company. As children grow, they experiment with the truth with va...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Brain and Behavior Caregivers Children and Teens Creativity Ethics & Morality Memory and Perception Parenting Research Students Success & Achievement Child Development Cognition lying Source Type: blogs