When should my children know what a lie is?

It is not uncommon for a two-year-old child to tell you something that could be taken as an untruth. However, it is not until they are three years or older that most children will know the difference between the truth and a lie.

At two years old, it is unlikely that your child even realises that you will not believe what he or she tells you. That’s one of the reasons their lies are so outlandish. Add to that your toddler’s incredible imagination, and it’s hard for them to understand the difference between the truth and a lie.

Once your children get older though, at around three years old, they will have realised that you’re not likely to believe any old story they tell you. They’ll start being more evasive, using answers like ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘it wasn’t me,’ instead of an outright lie.

Once your child has moved on from his imaginative toddler tales to more evasive types of lying, you can assume that he or she understands what lying is.

The best way to curb lying before it gets out of hand is to make sure that your child is disciplined whenever you catch them in a lie. It will still take some time before they understand the difference between the truth and a lie, but you need to start early, to make sure the message gets through.