Lying in young children is a common, but bothersome, behavior. While there are MANY different ways to handle the lying, I prefer something learned from a particularly good mentor and encourage parents to "water the roses and starve the weeds". It works well for most problem behaviors, unless the behavior is immediately dangerous like playing with knives or running into the street.
No matter how irritating or embarrassing it is to you, try to give them as little attention as possible for the problem behavior. In this case, the behavior you want to change is lying. Rather than yelling at them, just ignore any answers that are not the truth which is "starving the weeds". But on the flip side, you must also give attention to both good and neutral behaviors which is "watering the roses". If your child says they finished all their vegetables (and they did), thank them for telling the truth even if you were sitting next to them and already know they finished the vegetables. All behavior that is not a weed is automatically a rose.
This may seem like it is time consuming, but you will get the hang of it and should be pleased with the results.
Continue Learning about Parenting
Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.