Watch: How does a child lie?

30 per cent children lie; at the age of 3 years, 50 per cent children lie and as they grow older, more than 80 per cent of children can lie confidently.

Representative image (Source: Dreamstime)

Watch this TED Talk to understand why your child lies and why it may not be such a bad sign.

Kang Lee, a development researcher, brings forth one of the most interesting facts about child psychology. The lying habit is something one cannot separate from children. It may be difficult for a child to confess the transgression, but the habit has to be nipped in the bud as a two-year-old innocent liar might turn into a pathological liar later in life.

Lee tells us that at the age of two years, 30 per cent children lie; at the age of 3 years, 50 per cent children lie and as they grow older, more than 80 per cent of children can lie confidently. Thus, lying is a typical part of development, which becomes stronger with age.

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Lying requires two solid ab-lib ties, a mind-reading ability and self-control. Also, self-control enables you to control your ability of speech, expressions, etc, so you can tell a convincing lie.

Surprising the audience with his research, Lee says that a deficit in the mind reading and self-control ability are associated with serious development problems such as Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism in children. So, he asks parents to celebrate the fact that their child lies, as it is a sign of healthy mental development.

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A child makes a victory in lying by keeping the facial expressions neutral. However, underneath that, children are facing a mixture of guilt, shame, fear. Their feelings are hidden, so much so that even parents can’t tell if they are lying or telling the truth.

So, parents must try to read the minds of the children in a better way and initiate a conversation about it. Not just this, parents must also avoid telling lies to their children.

Watch the video here:

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