Little kids lie, plain and simple. It’s a necessary part of their development. They can’t tell the difference between the truth and a lie before about 3 years old, and after that, they want to flex their new ability by engaging in creative play and, well, stretching the truth. Teaching a kid about the truth, and steering them away from dishonesty, can be tricky. It’s okay to indulge kids’ imaginations and fantasies that come out as technical dishonesties like I didn’t put away the toys, the dog did! Where it becomes an issue is when lies are told to avoid negative consequences, like I didn’t leave my toys all over the room; the dog did! How you handle dishonesty in your household has a big effect on your kid — and if you keep these simple rules in mind, you’ll have much more success doing it the right way.