19.01.2025 Marketing and PR
What to Do When Your Child Lies? Advice from a Pedagogue
Reporterzy.info patronage
Does your little one invent outrageous stories, and you’re unsure how to react? Does your child tell friends that you’ve traveled the world and that your dog speaks with a human voice? A pedagogue explains how to handle such situations and avoid them in the future. The weekly Reporterzy.info is the media patron of the series.
illustration: Adobe Firefly AI [public domain]Lying is a natural part of development. Children between the ages of 2 and 4 may lie because they are still learning to distinguish reality from fantasy. In school-age children, lies may stem from social pressure or the desire to avoid negative consequences of their actions. Children may use this strategy due to:
- the need for protection (from punishment, parental anger, or shame)
- the need for belonging and acceptance (peer pressure, the desire to gain recognition among peers)
- the need for attention (e.g., feigned pain to get a parent’s attention)
- the need for recognition (fabricated achievements and stories to meet expectations)
- the need for fun and creativity (invented stories and situations)
Ways to Eliminate Lies
Children lie for various reasons, and understanding these reasons is key to an effective response.
– Lying in children doesn’t always stem from bad intentions – explains pedagogue Beata Rączka, an expert for the #MAMYNATORADĘ platform, run by the Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty foundation. – It’s important for parents to approach this topic with empathy rather than strictness, which can worsen the problem. If fear causes the lying, focus on increasing the child’s sense of security.
Creating an atmosphere of trust is essential. The child must know that they can tell the truth, even if they made a mistake, and that parents are ready to help them understand the consequences of their actions. Instead of excessive punishment, it’s better to use so-called natural consequences – situations in which the child understands on their own that their behavior had specific effects. Rewarding honesty, whether in simple or more challenging situations, strengthens positive attitudes.
– The goal is to show the child that mistakes can be corrected. Everyone makes them, and they shouldn’t be a source of shame – adds Beata Rączka. – True skill and pride lie in fixing the consequences, not avoiding them or hiding behind lies. If we, as parents, support and reinforce such attitudes in our children, the results will be the best.
Staying Calm in Conversations with Your Child
It’s also important to avoid overreacting emotionally. If a child sees that their lie triggers a dramatic reaction, it may lead to further attempts at manipulation or hiding the truth. Instead, stay calm and focus on clarifying the situation to help the child develop proper habits and understand the importance of honesty.
An approach based on conversation, mutual understanding, and patience builds trust between child and parent.
– Listening to and understanding your child is the best way to build good relationships – concludes the expert from the Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty foundation. – It fosters attitudes that will make parents proud and will benefit children throughout their lives.
How to Break Bad Habits? Let’s Fix It Together
Can the situation be fixed if we have been responding improperly to a child’s lies? It’s never too late to change your approach and take the right path. Understanding that this change may require time and patience is crucial.
Parents should demonstrate consistency, calmness, and readiness for the challenges that may arise during the process of rebuilding trust. Breaking old behavior patterns will be challenging, but with patient effort and openness to dialogue, you can repair your relationship with your child and teach them the value of honesty. This will not only reduce their tendency to lie but also strengthen the bond based on mutual respect and trust.
Tips for Parents:
- Create an atmosphere of trust: Instead of punishing your child for telling the truth, create a space where they feel safe to be honest.
- Set a good example: Children learn primarily through imitation, so strive to be a model of honesty in daily situations.
- Reinforce positive behavior: Reward your child for honesty and emphasize how important it is to be truthful.
This advice is part of the #MAMYNATORADĘ social project, aimed at supporting parents in ensuring the proper development of their children. Free guides for parents are prepared by experienced pedagogues, child psychologists, and speech therapists with school and preschool experience. The weekly Reporterzy.info is the media patron of the project. https://operator.edu.pl/pl/poradnia
The project is run by the educational foundation Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty. It is funded by voluntary donations and 1.5% PIT tax deductions KRS 00000 44866.
* * *
The Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty foundation has been conducting educational and social activities since 2001 and supports local governments in implementing educational tasks and projects. The foundation is a public benefit organization. It runs free, public preschools and schools across Poland, attended by over 9,000 children. The OOO foundation also implements nationwide educational, social, and developmental projects: #MAMYNATORADĘ. Guides for Parents • We Care for #EMOOOCJE. Psychological Support in Schools and Preschools • #LabOOOratorium. Create Innovations with Us.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
New articles in section Marketing and PR
Predictive Analytics in Ads. Customer Doesn’t Know Yet, But Ad Does
Krzysztof Fiedorek
Artificial intelligence is changing the rules of marketing. Predicting customer behaviors through advanced AI algorithms and making data-driven decisions is already the present. The report "The State of AI," published by McKinsey, shows the impact this will have on the advertising and marketing industry.
Influencer Advertising. Teenagers Do Not Always Recognize It
KFi
The rise in the popularity of influencer-promoted content among young people raises issues with their ability to identify the commercial nature of this content. Subtler forms of promotion are often completely unrecognizable to younger teens.
Artificial Intelligence in B2B Sales. Forrester's Predictions for 2025
BARD
B2B boldly experimented with generative artificial intelligence in 2024, but next year, industry leaders plan to focus on sustainable solutions that increase revenue.
See articles on a similar topic:
Large Online Ads vs. AdBlock. Poland Leads in Both Metrics
BARD
Large-format online ads make up 14% of Poland's online market, according to analyses by Gemius. This is the highest percentage among all surveyed markets. Paired with data on the rising popularity of ad-blocking—done by one-third of Polish internet users—it raises questions about the future of these ads.
Advertising Without Cookies. Is the Industry Ready for a Digital Revolution?
Krzysztof Fiedorek
The year 2024 was set to bring a revolution to the advertising industry as Google announced the removal of cookies in the Chrome browser for millions of users, sparking the beginning of a cookie-free era. However, Google’s change of heart surprised the market. A report on this topic was prepared by analysts from ID5.
Dietary Supplements. How to Distinguish Information from Marketing
Ewa Zygadło-Kozaczuk
Where can you find reliable information about dietary supplements, and how can you distinguish factual information from advertising? The answer is not straightforward. In fact, additional doubts arise.
Bots on Hotlines. Armatis Customer Experience Index Study
KF
Nearly two-thirds of Poles report encountering a chatbot or voice bot when contacting customer service. This type of service often triggers negative emotions. Almost three-quarters of Poles would prefer to wait in line for human assistance rather than be served immediately by a bot.
