"I wanted to believe my kids when they told me what they did or who they were with. However, I sometimes suspected that they were not being completely honest or were reluctant to discuss sensitive topics. Kids, especially teenagers, often tell their parents the truth when they know their parents will approve of their activities, but they become evasive or even outright lie when they know their parents will disapprove."
"When deception is suspected, parents must evaluate the context in which the deception occurred. In some circumstances, you may want to immediately step in to stop your children from breaking the law or otherwise harming themselves. However, in other circumstances, you may decide to monitor your children's behavior to allow them to learn how to make difficult decisions, acquire new skills, or learn from failure."
Most children and teenagers tell the truth to their parents, particularly when they expect parental approval. Deceptive or evasive behavior tends to occur when children anticipate disapproval or face sensitive topics. Parents must evaluate the context of any suspected deception and choose between immediate intervention to prevent harm and careful monitoring to support learning and development. Effective monitoring allows parents to know what children are doing without revealing that knowledge, enabling timely corrective measures if activities escalate. A natural truth bias predisposes parents to believe their children even when details appear inconsistent.
Read at Psychology Today
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