Episode 5: When your kid lies - What's really going on?

Parent Forward

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Lying often reveals what our children are trying to protect through fear, confusion, or attempts to preserve connection. This episode explores how to create a family culture where truth is safe to tell and honesty is consistently invited.
• All kids lie at some point, regardless of their character
• Children's dishonesty usually grows from fear or self-protection
• Approaching lies with curiosity instead of control opens doors for real conversation
• Developmentally, younger children blur imagination with reality
• Older kids often lie to avoid trouble or gain autonomy
• Jesus modeled leading with presence and welcome, not shame
• With young children, gentle questions like "Can you tell me what happened?" create safety
• For older kids, deeper conversations about trust and motivations are more effective
• Trust is "earned in droplets but lost in buckets" but can be rebuilt over time
• Parents should examine their own patterns that might make truth-telling difficult
Download the Reflection Guide for Episode 5 "When Kids Lie" right here --> https://shorturl.at/FUPLp or at parentforward.com under episode five to help you gently walk through what's happening beneath the surface. Connect on Instagram @parentforwardpodcast or visit parentforward.com.
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Chapters

1. When Kids Lie: Understanding the Why (00:00:00)

2. Developmental Insights on Dishonesty (00:03:22)

3. Jesus and Zacchaeus: Truth Through Love (00:04:55)

4. Practical Approaches for Different Ages (00:05:52)

5. Building Trust Drop by Drop (00:07:38)

6. Closing Prayer and Episode Resources (00:09:20)