Parents sometimes believe their children without realizing that the very signs they’re reading may be the ones that indicate the child is telling the truth. Of course, most of us like to think that we know our kids welcome enough to know when they’re lying, but what happens when you have to choose a sibling to believe? There are some really simple tips to keep in mind as you try to learn the truth from your children. Things from daily activities to facial expressions can be fantastic indicators of the truth. Once you learn which child is lying, the real chore of breaking them of the habit begins.
Habits don’t make truths. Have you ever had that argument with your children over whose turn it is to do a chore? They both say that they were the last one to do it and you can’t remember so it comes down to whom you believe. You’re looking for the signs of who is lying, but they aren’t there because neither is actually lying. We get into the habit of doing things without actually thinking about them and as a result, we sometimes have false memories about doing them. Have you ever tried to remember if you did something like shutting the coffee pot off? It’s a simple thing and you can imagine yourself doing it, but you don’t remember if you actually did it!
Confrontation can make anyone nervous. If you assume that your child is lying because he or she gets nervous when you confront them about something, don’t assume they’re lying. I remember getting in trouble as a kid for things I didn’t do, just because I got nervous when an adult would confront me. My experience had taught me that I the bottom line was that I wasn’t going to be believed, so I got nervous about the consequence that was to come and about the idea that someone thought so badly of me that they thought I was lying. My nervousness was often misinterpreted as guilt.
Your child can’t look you in the eye. There’s a misconception that people who look you in the eye aren’t lying to you. The truth is that some liars are actually more likely to look you in the eye as they lie because they’re trying to gauge your response or level of belief. This is going to vary from person to person depending on the level of eye contact that person maintains on a regular basis.
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Source: Personal experience