By emily - 23/06/2019 06:45

Today, I learned in my child development class that lying in toddlers is a sign of intelligence. I clearly remember that I didn’t even understand the concept of lying until I was 6 years-old. FML
I agree, your life sucks 1 309
You deserved it 223

Same thing different taste

Top comments

Just because kids don't lie doesn't necessarily mean that they're not intelligent. Lying isn't exactly a good thing either, so I think you'll be ok 🤷🏽‍♀️

There goes your job in the Trump administration! You probably like actual facts and not alternative ones!

Comments

Just because kids don't lie doesn't necessarily mean that they're not intelligent. Lying isn't exactly a good thing either, so I think you'll be ok 🤷🏽‍♀️

There goes your job in the Trump administration! You probably like actual facts and not alternative ones!

As someone who works closely with toddlers, I wouldn’t be impressed if they were lying to me. To me, that’s not a sign of intelligence but of something negative. A two year old that I work with is very smart, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard her lie.

Keeping track of both the truth and the story you're telling does require a certain level of mental maturity, and also the understanding that everyone does not possess the same information. Lying might not be too desirable, but neither is volunteering the whole truth at all times. ( "yes, you do look fat...")

My (I'd say smart) two year old started lying as soon as she learned to speak, e.g. she asks for potty when she wants out of bed at bedtime (even when she literally went a minute ago).

At least you have a great memory...I guess?

You need a certain level of intelligence to lie, since it requires strategic thinking, planning, etc. BUT intelligence doesn't mean you HAVE to lie. This is basically a "all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares" thing.

I don't know about that. If toddlers are lying, sounds more like manipulation than intelligence. And lying is bad anyway, so I'd think it would be a good thing if they weren't lying. It doesn't mean they're not intelligent. And just because you didn't understand it until you were six doesn't mean you're not intelligent, either.

Lying is wrong, but the child needs to learn why it's wrong. Before they learn that, it's basically an alternative to the "fight or flight" instincts we have, in the sense that they use the lie as a method of protecting themselves from punishment. Learning how to lie is different from learning when to lie, and when not to. You may not have understood what lying is, and the repercussions of telling a lie, and being found out, until you were 6, but it wouldn't surprise me if you'd told a few before you actually knew more about what it was you were doing. Just keep an eye out for kids that keep lying, but don't let the punishments deter them. They'll probably end up as sociopaths.

I can't even believe you think this is something to be upset about.