I received an email today from Pampers.com with "Your Preschooler: Month 41" as the subject header. I'd like to share a portion of it here...
Why Kids LieChildren approaching 3 1/2 see people, objects, and events as all good or all bad. Good people do good things; bad people do bad things. This explains a lot about the lies kids tell now.
GOOD NEWS
The good news about lying-yes, you should see it this way-is that it's a sign of intellectual growth and sophistication. It also shows the way a child wishes things to be. So your preschooler isn't a liar when she denies absolutely that she put the red handprints on the wall, though she's completely covered with red paint. Her thinking goes like this: "I am a good girl. Mommy thinks that red handprints on the wall are bad. Bad people do bad things. So no, I didn't leave those bad handprints, because I'm good." The most common reason for lying is fear of punishment.
Alexa appears to be right on track because recently, I've noticed her telling me "stories" about events that have occurred. For example...recently I overheard her enter the snack drawer in Minna's house and empty the entire contents of an M & M's bag into the drawer. She came back into my room with a few pieces of evidence in her little hands. When I asked her what had happened she insisted Riley had gotten into the drawer and had spilled the M & M's out. The conversation went something like this...
Me: What was that noise?
Alexa: I don't know.
Me: Did something spill?
Alexa: Uh-huh.
Me: What did you spill?
Alexa: Ri did it. He went in the drawer and he spilled the snacks.
Me: Are you sure? It wasn't you who went into the snack drawer?
Alexa: No! It was Ri!
She was pretty convincing! You know, if you could ever believe that a dog could both open a drawer and make his way into a bag of M&M's! It was interesting to read that this is not only normal but that it indicates that Alexa possesses the ability to understand herself within her world. The email offers some ways to manage this behavior and discusses the importance of a child's development of morals...
"At this age, your child's moral sense is still mostly based on the consequences of her actions rather than any abstract concept of doing the right thing. But slowly and surely, she's building a moral code through specific actions and your reactions to them."
It's always helpful to read this type of information as it tends to help me stay sane and stop worrying about what I may be doing wrong as a mom!
Here's a pic of my perfect little darling...
Why Kids LieChildren approaching 3 1/2 see people, objects, and events as all good or all bad. Good people do good things; bad people do bad things. This explains a lot about the lies kids tell now.
GOOD NEWS
The good news about lying-yes, you should see it this way-is that it's a sign of intellectual growth and sophistication. It also shows the way a child wishes things to be. So your preschooler isn't a liar when she denies absolutely that she put the red handprints on the wall, though she's completely covered with red paint. Her thinking goes like this: "I am a good girl. Mommy thinks that red handprints on the wall are bad. Bad people do bad things. So no, I didn't leave those bad handprints, because I'm good." The most common reason for lying is fear of punishment.
Alexa appears to be right on track because recently, I've noticed her telling me "stories" about events that have occurred. For example...recently I overheard her enter the snack drawer in Minna's house and empty the entire contents of an M & M's bag into the drawer. She came back into my room with a few pieces of evidence in her little hands. When I asked her what had happened she insisted Riley had gotten into the drawer and had spilled the M & M's out. The conversation went something like this...
Me: What was that noise?
Alexa: I don't know.
Me: Did something spill?
Alexa: Uh-huh.
Me: What did you spill?
Alexa: Ri did it. He went in the drawer and he spilled the snacks.
Me: Are you sure? It wasn't you who went into the snack drawer?
Alexa: No! It was Ri!
She was pretty convincing! You know, if you could ever believe that a dog could both open a drawer and make his way into a bag of M&M's! It was interesting to read that this is not only normal but that it indicates that Alexa possesses the ability to understand herself within her world. The email offers some ways to manage this behavior and discusses the importance of a child's development of morals...
"At this age, your child's moral sense is still mostly based on the consequences of her actions rather than any abstract concept of doing the right thing. But slowly and surely, she's building a moral code through specific actions and your reactions to them."
It's always helpful to read this type of information as it tends to help me stay sane and stop worrying about what I may be doing wrong as a mom!
Here's a pic of my perfect little darling...
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