Is it true that toddlers cant lie yet. its not till they start school they do.?

Question

Is it true that toddlers cant lie yet. its not till they start school they do.?

Answer 1

Not true. My twins were really good at lying, way before they started school. They always blamed it on each other.

Answer 2

there is no age limit to lieing...my kids are 2 years old and 10 yrs old and both have done little white lies...so has my 36 yr old fiancee...

Answer 3

i don't believe that.  my daughter was caught lying  to us once and got her toys and the computer taken away.  she told us the dog left the refrigerator open!  we had a long talk about lying and the ramifications of it.  we told her she would be in a lot more trouble if she lied  to us then if she told us the truth, and proved that with the punishment.  i believe that is the only time we have taken all the toys away!  now she will tell us the truth and even offers to clean it up!  

i think a child tests and sees if they can get away with something.  i do not view it as a malicious behavior, more as testing.  we nipped lying in the bud.

Answer 4

theres no age limit to when a child can start lying! They tend to test their parents/ carers to see what they can get away with. it's probably more common in youngsters with older siblings who they learn this from.

Answer 5

lol totally agree with dory,i have twins to who are 3 and since probably 2 they've been doing stuff and blaming each other,now there 3 and all ready have even learnt now how to lie and cover up for each other! though at this age its harmless stuff,more like "white lies"

Answer 6

HA that's not true! My little three year old nephew has lied about little things like making his bed or washing his hands and he hasn't started school yet.

Answer 7

Toddlers lie, but it is usually wishful thinking and not deceptive in nature.  They wish they hadn't spilled their juice or they wish they hadn't hit their sister now that they see her crying.  

Just correct the statement they make and then say "Thanks for telling me."  

I have seen parents punish toddlers for telling "lies" and it is a bit of overkill.   We started addressing the issue with discipline  at 4.5 or 5 when our daughter was clearly trying to manipulate us.  

Good Luck!

Answer 8

they can lie of course they can.

Answer 9

Nonsense, my kids have lied before they started going to school, and knew what they were doing.

Answer 10

Not true!  Mine is only 3 and has been doing it.  He knows what he is doing too.

Answer 11

My son can hardly talk but he already 'lies' with his eyes! I think you can usually tell when small children are lying but when they are older you can talk about the consequences of not telling the truth.

Answer 12

totally NOT true...my 2.5 year old can lie like a rug. ask him if he has wet pants (you can tell he does) and he will tell you "no..dry".  I asked him if he poopied because I smelled it and he said "no...no poopie" but 20 minutes later he walked up and told me "I p**p" and it had been in his diaper for a while.