“Did you take that toy from your brother?”… “No”
“Do you have a dirty nappy?”… “No”
As a parent of four young children, I have quickly discovered that children don’t need to be taught how to lie.
Apparently, deception begins even before they learn to talk!
According to a study by researchers at the University of Bristol, 25% of children start to understand what a lie is by 10 months. By 17 months, that rises to roughly 50%. One parent involved in the study even claimed their eight-month-old displayed signs of manipulation.
The professor leading the research said that it was fascinating to see deception emerging in the earliest years of a child’s life so that, as she put it, “they become quite adept and cunning ‘little liars.’”
Of course, the things which small children lie about seem small and insignificant; and often bring a wry smile to their parents’ faces.
Some babies reportedly carry out forbidden activities in secret, while older toddlers deny obvious wrongdoing with impressive confidence. The child with chocolate around their mouth shaking their head firmly when asked whether they ate the sweets is a familiar picture to many parents.
As children grow, dishonesty becomes increasingly common. Studies suggest lying becomes increasingly common throughout childhood, from around a third of toddlers to the overwhelming majority of older children and teenagers.
Children lie for reasons that sound familiar to adults too: to avoid punishment, escape embarrassment, protect relationships or avoid immediate consequences. Some people may not see this as much of a problem. Some psychologists say lying in childhood is normal and part of growing up rather than a sign of bad character. It shows their ability to think and understand the world around them.
Yet lying still makes us uncomfortable.
No one enjoys being deceived, and no one likes being called a liar. We may admit that some people are very convincing, even clever, in the way they bend the truth. Still, most of us feel that lying crosses a moral line.
While psychologists can explain why lying develops, they do not fully answer why dishonesty troubles our conscience in the first place. Could it be that we are troubled by lying because we are made in the image of a God of truth?
We’ve done our best to erase this God, but like a football that you try and push under the water, the truth about God keeps resurfacing. Deep down we know that truth matters.
The problem is that all of us have told lies. Dishonesty is not merely a childhood problem but a human one. The difference is not between liars and truthful people, but between those who recognise their need of forgiveness and those who do not.
The wonderful hope offered in the gospel is that in Jesus there was no deceit at all, yet he was put to death on the basis of false charges to take the punishment we deserve. Amazingly we can be forgiven…and that’s no lie!
Gareth is studying to be a pastor and is on placement in Milford and Letterkenny for 2 months.
Milford RPC 
Leave a comment