How do i get my 5 year old to stop lieing?

Question

he lies about everything!!

i can catch him doing something wrong and he will still lie about it. i tell him i already know he did it so just tell the truth, and he still trys to make up new stories as to what happened.

i mean what happens if something goes seriously wrong, and it takes me 20 minutes to get the truth out of him.. by then it could be too late.

its starting to affect mine and my husbands relationship too, he doesnt seem to care about it, but i do. im the one that has to take care of him 24/7 and his dad does nothing.

this child is stressing me out to the max!!! HOW CAN I STOP HIM FROM LIEING??? please help me.

Answer 1

make a chart. every time he tells the truth he get a sticker on it.

ever time he lies he get an X.

at the end of the week if he told the truth more than lied he gets a treat (ice cream, snow cone, or a movie for example)

if he lies more, he gets something taken away, goes to bed earlier, or what ever would punish him.

spank him for each lie maybe, when he throws a fit throw him in his room and ignore him.

remember ur not suppose to spank after like 7 or 8 i think

Answer 2

be more strict... a good spanking with a belt got me to do right not wrong

Answer 3

the charts, the threatening, the yelling, boarding him up in his room are not harsh enough for lying. I would just keep quiet about it when he lies and save it till when he really wants to go somewhere or do something and then bust out with, sorry you lied to me you can't do that today.  It is VERY affective.  Another way to solve this is to tell him that you will have to clean his mouth out with soap or vinegar. Both work very well.  Neither one will  hurt him.  A bit of soap on the tongue never hurt anyone but it sure does taste horrible.

Answer 4

If he's been spanked before, maybe he is afraid of getting spanked.  Also, he doesn't want his toys taken away.  Your husband and you need to have a set rule for him, following through with discipline.  I lied as a child, but I was so scared of getting whipped.  A simple punishment wasn't a big deal.  Nip it in the bud now because it will only get worse.

Answer 5

Tell him that every time you catch him in a lie you will take away one of his favorite toys, and follow through. If he has some action figure or whatever children play with nowadays, take it away for a week if he lies. Continue taking things away until he stops telling lies.

Answer 6

I don't know if this is right or wrong, but it worked for my friend.  A friend of mine who is a psychologist had a 7 year old who lied about everything -- even when it would have been easier to just tell the truth. So, one day he told the little boy that the following Saturday, they were all going to the zoo and then out to Chuck E. Cheese.  The little boy was very excited. Psyched up all week.  Well, Saturday rolled around and the child's parents told him, "Guess what? We lied. We're not going. Put your things away. Go to your room and remember how you feel right now the next time you tell us a lie. That's how we feel when you lie to us."  The kid is 11 and hasn't lied since.  Cruel? Maybe. Effective life lesson?  Definitely.  I also once had a stepson who would lie from time to time.  I would take away his game boy for a week at a time. Once, I took away the TV for a week, too.  Hard week on him, harder on me. But, in the end, it worked nicely.  Kid still keeps in contact with me.  As for the belt, where's the logic? "Tell me the truth or I'll hit you." Yeah, that's an effective psychology.  Too bad it doesn't work that way in Washington, DC. But, I digress.

Answer 7

It sounds like he is lying for the attention. If you make it noticable to him that you are fed up with it, he has more motivation to lie further. Ignore it.

Answer 8

my mom use to take a toy away from me each time i would lie and one week later i just stopped lying

Answer 9

The best discipline advise I ever got was to catch your son doing something right. It sounds simplistic but it works a treat with my boy . I watch him, and I have a sticker chart for random good things that I catch him doing. When he's in trouble, I give him the choice, to choose wisely or poorly. Wisely means a sticker and a cuddle, and poorly means he faces the consequences.

Such as if if he chooses to tell the truth ( when he could lie) then he gets surprisingly rewarded, and if he lies, don't spend 20 min, trying to get the truth out of him, simply discipline him. ( time out or however you do) .

Honestly, I think he is probley lying because he wants some attention. If a child needs attention - there's nothing wrong with giving it to him ... as long as it's given out of a reward and not out of being manipulated.

By giving him the appropriate reward for the behavior choice he makes - he will learn. You just need to set boundaries and consequences ..  stick with it and ...look for ways to reward his good behavior.

Answer 10

Im told its just a phase they go through my 9yr old lies alot.

she has been doing it for a while now she has even got her self up on stage in school at asembly when she was 6 and told every one that she got a new brother.. and she was an only child..lets hope it will pass.