What is the likelihood your kids will tell the truth when they know you are going to blow your top or spank them when they do? Next time you ask “Who broke…?” “Who spilled…?” “Who took…?” ask yourself a question: “Could any self-preserving person dare to answer me honestly?” Pain versus honesty is a hard choice for little kiddos to reason through. But…it they know that you will be calm, rational, and reasonable, I really think that children WANT to be honest and come clean when they’ve done something wrong. When we don’t constantly freak out when they misbehave, we help kids learn to deal with mistakes, accept consequences, and move on. Is childhood lying more complicated than this? Of course. But the first thing to try is to manage our own reactions, so they can dare to be honest.