Lying. It’s always up there with “Cheating and Stealing”. And none of it sounds too good when we’re talking about our own teenager.

No one wants to believe their kid could lie to them. And once it happens, it’s terribly hard to for us to trust them again. They may lie to us directly, conveniently leave out specific information, or even avoid our questions entirely by steering the conversation.

Why is it that teenagers seem to lie so frequently and about so many different things? Is it rebellion? Is it a character flaw? And can the way we parent impact their need to lie to us? The answer is yes, it can.

Join me this week as we examine why teens lie, what we can do to help prevent it and how to talk to them when we’ve caught them in a lie.

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I make this show just for you so if you have any feedback regarding this episode or any others or would like to suggest a future show, I’d love to hear from you!  You can reach me anytime at 864-313-7277 or acoleman@neurogility.com.

Access transcript here.

Additional Resources:

The Right to Do Wrong: Lying to Parents Among Adolescents and Emerging Adults

Shading the Truth: The Patterning of Adolescents' Decisions to Avoid Issues, Disclose, or Lie to Parents

Predictors of Adolescents' Disclosures to Parents

Individual and Issue-Specific Differences in Parental Knowledge and Adolescent Disclosure

Rules, Legitimacy of Parental Authority, and Obligation to Obey

Mind Your Own Business! Longitudinal Study