When you catch your teenager lying to you how do you react? Sometimes a rebellious teen may still choose to stand his ground even if he senses you know he’s lying. He may think that as long as he sticks to his story, you may just come around. Situations like these can be a bundle of stress on the nerves. So what do you do?

It’s vital that you address the situation straight away if you know that your teen is lying to you. You can start by figuring out what could be causing your child’s dishonesty in the first place. It’s important to go over your own position on the issue with your teen by explaining the values you hold and the meaning of honesty in your household. Reviewing the penalties for dishonest behavior is also essential.

Don’t be a hypocrite

As much as a teenager’s peer group has its influence over his actions, you are also a prime role model for his behavior. And the values or ideals you hold dear most likely may be passed on to your child. In order to keep your household lie-free, of course don’t get caught lying yourself! Adolescents cannot look up to someone who’s telling them one thing while doing another. As much as possible, live by what you preach.

What to do when faced with a lie?

Instead of going straight to reprimanding your teen about his lying, try to find out more about why they lied in the first place. It would be good to understand why your child chose to lie in a certain situation instead of tell the truth. This will give you some insight into your teen’s frame of mind, as well as his hierarchy of values. Once you come to terms with your teenager’s frame of mind or how he prioritizes his own set of values, you will be able to correct any confusion and prevent it from becoming a recurring issue.

If you learn that your teenager’s reason for lying was plainly to cover up misbehavior, you need to go over the behaviors that you will tolerate and those you won’t. Both the penalties for intolerable behavior and lying to cover it up should be discussed. Making a mistake is one thing, but making a mistake and lying to cover it up is another.

Now what?

Setting your guidelines at home with corresponding penalties, and distinctly enforcing them may be considered the best approach. In order to monitor a lying teen you can make him inform you of his whereabouts, expected time of return, and company. This kind of monitoring will show your teen that he must work to gain your trust again. A teenager who is responding well to monitoring can be rewarded with more freedom and the more responsibility that comes with it.