White Lies

Dear Carol,

I have a 7 yr old son who is always lying to us. He never seems to want to tell the truth. We punish him and punish him and the behavior never gets any better. What can I do to help make him tell the truth?

Fibbing in Florida

Dear Fibbing,

Repeatedly punishing him won't always work. If you punish him the same way each time then he will get used to being punished that way. Try punishing him in a different way than normal. Or try an incentive like adding a quarter to a jar each time he doesn't lie. Then after he has enough money let him buy candy or something that he picks out. Also try positive rewards for not lying. When he does not lie give him a treat or reward. When he does lie just ignore what he said and treat him no differently.

Sincerely,
Carol