Contents:
- Medical Video: Imagination vs. lying: When children cross the line
- Children do not understand the differences in the real world and imagination
- How do you distinguish children lying or just imagining?
- 1. Pay attention to the child's facial expressions
- 2. Listen to children's stories
- 3. False stories will sound stiffer
- 4. Pay attention to the child's body language
- All you can do is guide your child
Medical Video: Imagination vs. lying: When children cross the line
Have you ever overheard your child tell his friends if he went to Disneyland and met Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck or others? In fact, you never take your child on vacation to Disneyland or hear bombastic stories that are not true. Don't rush to label a liar to your baby. Maybe it's the way to imagine. But, what if he really is doing a lie? How do you distinguish children from lying and imagining?
Children do not understand the differences in the real world and imagination
What your child tells his friend is most likely not an act of lying. But the development of imagination in the head of a toddler. You need to know, toddlers age can not distinguish the world of imagination with reality.
In childhood, any imagination can be developed in any form. Unexpectedly, a child will be able to speak or issue fantastic ideas more than adults. Everything he has seen or heard can be developed at will without needing to be told whether it is right or wrong.
Therefore, a wise attitude from parents is needed to understand the child. Because, if parents do not want to understand, all that is to do is blame the child. If this continues, the results can actually discourage him from imagining and creating.
How do you distinguish children lying or just imagining?
1. Pay attention to the child's facial expressions
Searched from Livestrong, the first thing you can do to distinguish children lying or imagining, look at the child's facial expressions. Children who tell the truth or honest things have a relaxed face that usually shows emotions that are in accordance with what the child says.
If a child lies, however his face or gestures will show anxiety because of the lies he has made.
2. Listen to children's stories
To find out your child is lying or imagining, listen carefully to what your child is saying. You may hear stories that don't make sense and sound unreliable.
If you suspect the child is lying, ask your child to repeat what he just said to you. Honest stories that are told twice in a row will usually be the same. But if your little one tells a lie, the second story might change and not the same as the first story.
3. False stories will sound stiffer
Make sure your child's story sounds like a trained or spontaneous one. Children who say honestly will be fluent in telling stories, the story will sound like 'new' to you or repetition of stories that are 'spiced' with the imagination of the real event.
This is different if the child lies. Lies made by your little one may sound rigid and trained. Some children might even repeat the exact sentence when telling a story that was trained for the second time.
4. Pay attention to the child's body language
Pay attention to your child's body language. A child lies more likely to appear nervous, continues to defend the story that it is true and continues to feel afraid. See if your child's shoulder is bent, body or face stiff, repeatedly touching the nose or mouth and trying to avoid eye contact. If so, chances are that your child is lying.
Actually, there are some children who feel anxious when talking to adults no matter what they say is false or true. While other children can speak comfortably to adults. However, a child who is nervous when telling a certain story, either to an adult or peers, might be lying.
All you can do is guide your child
The best step for parents is to guide and justify the child's words when there is a wrong thought. You can 'straighten out' the story, this approach with good explanations usually manages to direct children's imagination that often comes out of the 'path of truth'.
Lying like this doesn't need to worry too much, let alone get scolded. On the contrary, for fear of being scolded, it is often the reason why children lie to their parents. The tendency to get a sense of security in children under five makes them create self-protection by lying.
In addition to not being angry, increasing discussion with children is the right way to open two-way communication between parents and children. Never ever think of children as stupid and unable to think like us. If you often invite him to talk, get ready to get ideas that you never expected before.
