Consequences of lying to kids and teenagers

‘’ Katie, go and work on your homework!’’

Katie; – Mom, I’ve already done that. Okay. I headed straight to his bedroom and then came across his school books opened. I decided to check and see if he has done the work correctly, only to find out that he hadn’t touched it yet.

I guess you’ve experienced a similar thing before, and you also know how disheartening that is.

When I found out that he was lying about doing his homework, it really broke my heart.

I was lost for words because this was the first time he lied straight in my face. I was in disbelief and shocked.

I didn’t know what to do about the situation, so I sat on his bed to process what was going on and how best I could address it.

I knew the best way to deal with the situation was to let him know the consequences of lying.

That will let him understand his actions and the harmful effects it is likely to have on him if he continues with them.

But since it was my first time being a parent, I had to research by asking people what the consequences of lying are to a child to help me solve that problem entirely.

I know many parents might also be interested in finding out the consequences of lying, so I thought it wise to document my findings here to help others too.

Here are the consequences for lying kids below.

1.    Karma;

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Here is one consequence of lying that kids will encounter.

According to the definition, Karma is just like Newton’s famous law but just that in this type of law, you'd get the same response instead of an opposite reaction to coming back to you.

In simple terms, any physical or emotional action will produce the same result as the action.

So when your child lies, one thing you can let him be aware of is that he will surely reap the fruits of the lies he is telling.

He might find himself in a situation where someone, for instance, will be accusing him of doing something he didn’t do, which might end up leading your child into trouble.

2.    Lost of trust;

The second consequence of lying is that no one will take them seriously. I remember a story of a man who had the habit of always telling lies and deceiving people, and it came to a time when everybody in his town knew him to be a liar.

One day, when he was at home, he was attacked by thieves who came to his home to steal from him. Luckily for him, he spotted them early and went to hide at a safe place in his house and was calling aloud for help.

But all his call for help was all in vain though he had all his neighbors at home who could help him because he was known to be a liar, none of his neighbors took him seriously, and he was robbed of all his properties.

The moral of this story for kids is that if they find themselves in grave danger, they will be left to their fates because people will think they are lying about being in danger.

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3.    Loneliness;

Think about it: who wants to be friends with someone who isn't trustworthy? I don’t think you will, and neither will I.

 Similarly, it will be difficult for children who lie to maintain friendships. Kids are keen observers and can spot trustworthy people based on their personalities.

4.    May lead to trouble;

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Another reason children must desist from lying is that it may lead them into trouble either at school or outside the school's jurisdiction.

As the saying goes, when you tell one lie, you'll have to tell three more to cover it up, and it continues like that until it catches up with you, and by that time, it might become too late.

Conclusion

Telling lies has not made anyone great in this world, and if it had made someone great, they would eventually be bitten hard by it.

This is why it is essential to let your child know that there is nothing to gain from telling lies and that it only leads to destruction.

I hope this write-up can help you educate your child to change for the better.