Encourage Kids to Tell the Truth, Even With Santa Watching

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en-SG" dir="ltr" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#"> <head> <title>Encourage Kids to Tell the Truth, Even With Santa Watching | Psychology Today Singapore</title> <meta charset="utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html" /> <script>window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; window.dataLayer.push({"":"Psychology Today","entityLangcode":"en","page_type":"node","drupal_node_type":"blog_entry","drupal_node_nid":"5028120","drupal_node_title":"Encourage Kids to Tell the Truth, Even With Santa Watching","userUid":0,"event":"drupal_node_view","ContentWeb":"Blogs"});</script> <meta name="description" content="Children are faced with conflicting demands: Truth-telling is promoted as a universally desirable behavior, yet also punished. We can help kids navigate through this dilemma." /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Psychology Today" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Encourage Kids to Tell the Truth, Even With Santa Watching" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Children are faced with conflicting demands: Truth-telling is promoted as a universally desirable behavior, yet also punished. We can help kids navigate through this dilemma." /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_91_1_1528x800/public/teaser_image/blog_entry/2024-12/pexels-rdne-6211958.jpg?h=b464fb6c&itok=QS-RudnU" /> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="220580041311284" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@PsychToday" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_91_1_1528x800/public/teaser_image/blog_entry/2024-12/pexels-rdne-6211958.jpg?h=b464fb6c&itok=QS-RudnU" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=0" /> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1" /> <meta http-equiv="x-dns-prefetch-control" content="on" /> <meta name="theme-color" content="#191C1F" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" /> <meta name="theme-color" content="#F2F2F2" media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" /> <meta name="alexaVerifyID" content="ruuD3Gzrr-EaY185APFbxF69Va4" /> <meta name="google-site-verification" content="G-wasBQCXXJoehIaVW5BsO9VYKt4oqmWGo155wSSakQ" /> <meta name="y_key" content="0f29d521db0a2863" /> <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="9AD6650A37790044983CFB6B27D77607" /> <meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes" /> <meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-title" content="Psych Today" /> <meta name="robots" content="index,follow" /> <script type="application/ld+json">{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "NewsArticle", "url": "https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching", "headline": "Here are insights from research on promoting honesty in children.", "description": "Children are faced with conflicting demands: Truth-telling is promoted as a universally desirable behavior, yet also punished. We can help kids navigate through this dilemma.", "datePublished": "2024-12-11T10:22:00-05:00", "dateModified": "2024-12-11T10:22:00-05:00", "isAccessibleForFree": true, "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching", "image": [ "https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_16_9_1200x675/public/teaser_image/blog_entry/2024-12/pexels-rdne-6211958.jpg?h=0845c151&itok=f0oKM3tY", "https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_1_1200x1200/public/teaser_image/blog_entry/2024-12/pexels-rdne-6211958.jpg?h=d3e93f73&itok=8qy7QLHJ", "https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_4_3_1200x900/public/teaser_image/blog_entry/2024-12/pexels-rdne-6211958.jpg?h=18fc8001&itok=cxXPwE3u" ], "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Parenting", "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/parenting" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laura Visu-Petra Ph.D.", "honorificSuffix": "Ph.D.", "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/contributors/laura-visu-petra-phd", "url": "https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/contributors/laura-visu-petra-phd" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Psychology Today", "url": "https://www.psychologytoday.com", "logo": "https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/psychology-today-logo-blue-AMP-left-cropped_0.png", "publishingPrinciples": "https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/docs/editorial-process" }, "isPartOf": { "@type": "Blog", "name": "Mind Riddles", "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles" } } ] }</script><link rel="preconnect" href="//cdn.psychologytoday.com" crossorigin /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//cdn.psychologytoday.com" /> <link rel="preconnect" href="//cdn2.psychologytoday.com" crossorigin /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//cdn2.psychologytoday.com" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" hreflang="en-AU" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" hreflang="en-CA" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" hreflang="en-GB" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ie/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" hreflang="en-IE" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" hreflang="x-default" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" hreflang="en-NZ" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" hreflang="en-SG" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" hreflang="en-US" /> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" hreflang="en-ZA" /> <link rel="icon" href="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/favicon.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/theme-assets/touch-icons/apple-touch-icon.png" /> <link rel="amphtml" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching?amp" />  <link rel="preload" href="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/themes/custom/pt/fonts/proxima-nova/proxima-nova-regular.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin> <link rel="preload" href="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/themes/custom/pt/fonts/proxima-nova/proxima-nova-semibold.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin> <link rel="preload" href="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/themes/custom/pt/fonts/proxima-nova/proxima-nova-bold.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/css/css_J55vAKoZWO4MGemeel6T0RWVIRmPwIcDxhLLpxD7iHs.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/css/css_Zf-EvFVN6LtjFwn-GDV1My_bX4sfsKia5jrAP0vWn6E.css" />  <link rel="preconnect" href="//securepubads.g.doubleclick.net" crossorigin /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//securepubads.g.doubleclick.net" /> <link rel="preload" as="script" href="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js" /> <link rel="preconnect" href="//www.googletagmanager.com" crossorigin /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//www.googletagmanager.com" /> <link rel="preload" as="script" href="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-NW5PKS" /> <link rel="preload" as="script" href="https://resources.psychologytoday.com/directory/search-components/v1.0.14/search-suggestions.min.js" />   <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//www.google-analytics.com" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//www.google.com" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//fonts.googleapis.com" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//fonts.gstatic.com" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//tpc.googlesyndication.com" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//page2.googlesyndication.com" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//cdn.ampproject.org" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//consent.cookiebot.com" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//consentcdn.cookiebot.com" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//sb.scorecard.research.com" />  <script> dataLayer = dataLayer || []; </script>   <script> var _comscore = _comscore || []; _comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "38584006" }); (function() { var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true; s.src = "https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/cs/38584006/beacon.js"; el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el); })(); </script> <noscript> <img src=https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=38584006&cv=3.6.0&cj=1> </noscript>  </head> <body class="language-en not-logged-in not-front node--blog_entry">  <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-NW5PKS" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){ if (typeof w[l] == 'undefined') { w[l] = [] }; w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.defer=true;j.src= '//www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;j.addEventListener('load', function() { var _ge = new CustomEvent('gtm_loaded', { bubbles: true }); d.dispatchEvent(_ge); });f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-NW5PKS'); </script>  <div class="backdrop-screen"></div> <a href="#block-pt-content" class="visually-hidden focusable" rel="nofollow"> Skip to main content </a> <div class="dialog-off-canvas-main-canvas" data-off-canvas-main-canvas> <header class="header"> <div> <div id="block-mainnavbarblock" class="block"> <div class="main-nav-wrapper"> <div class="container"> <button id="enabled-mobile-nav-control" class="mobile-nav-control" data-target="#navbarNavDropdown"><span class="visually-hidden">Mobile Navigation</span></button> <nav class="main-nav" role="navigation"> <div class="h1 main-nav--logo logo logo-en"><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg">Psychology Today</a></div> <ul class="main-nav--toggles list-style-none d-none d-lg-flex"> <li class="main-nav--toggle"> <a href="#" class="main-nav--toggle-link">Find Counselling</a> <div class="main-nav--panel d-none"> <div class="container"> <div class="navigation--therapist-directory"> <div class="navigation--therapist-directory__search"> <div class="h1"><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling">Find Counselling</a></div> <div class="navigation--therapist-directory__search-form"> <form action="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling" method="GET" target="_top" autocomplete="off" autocorrect="off" autocapitalize="off" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" data-event-label="TopB" id="td_search_form"> <div class="container-fat__callout_form" data-search-suggest="sussex" data-placeholder="City or Postcode" data-section-icons="false" data-mobile-fullscreen="true" data-size="large" data-menu="true" data-menu-items="[{"label":"Therapists","suggestionsUrl":"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/intl\/search\/suggestions?query={query}&context=therapists&country-code=sg","searchUrl":"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/sg\/counselling?search={query}","title":""}]" data-input-aria-label="Search input text" data-button-aria-label="Search button"> <button type="submit" value="Search" title="" class="search-btn default large d-none" aria-label="Search button"></button> <div class="search td-search d-flex"> <div class="menu large d-none d-sm-inline-block"> <div> <button class="td-search--menu-button large">Therapists</button> </div> <ul class="td-search--menu list-style-none"> <li class="selected"> <a href="#" data-selector-option-text="Therapists" data-selector-option-value="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling" title="">Therapists</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="large search-suggest-modal has-menu td-search--input"> <div class="close-suggestions d-none"><button>x</button></div> <div class="search-field-container search-suggest-modal large"> <input type="text" id="searchField" class="large search-suggest-modal has-menu" name="search" placeholder="City or Postcode" size="25" aria-label="Search input text"> <button type="submit" value="Search" title="" class="search-btn default large d-none" aria-label="Search button"></button> </div> </div> </div> </div> </form> </div> <div class="navigation--therapist-directory__existing"> <div class="flag-icon"><img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/flags/flag-lg-sg.svg" alt="Singapore" /><strong> Counsellors :</strong> <a href="https://member.psychologytoday.com/sg/login" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" data-event-label="PT_TopNav_TherapistLogIn">Login</a> <span class="expert-spacer d-inline-block">|</span> <a href="https://join.psychologytoday.com/sg/signup" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" data-event-label="PT_TopNav_SignupN">Sign Up</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="navigation--therapist-directory__cities"> <div class="h3">Singapore</div> <ul class="list-style-none"> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/ang-mo-kio" title="Find Counselling in Ang Mo Kio" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Ang Mo Kio</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/bedok" title="Find Counselling in Bedok" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Bedok</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/bukit-merah" title="Find Counselling in Bukit Merah" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Bukit Merah</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/choa-chu-kang" title="Find Counselling in Choa Chu Kang" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Choa Chu Kang</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/downtown-core" title="Find Counselling in Downtown Core" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Downtown Core</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/hougang" title="Find Counselling in Hougang" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Hougang</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/jurong-west" title="Find Counselling in Jurong West" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Jurong West</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/punggol" title="Find Counselling in Punggol" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Punggol</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/sengkang" title="Find Counselling in Sengkang" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Sengkang</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/tampines" title="Find Counselling in Tampines" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Tampines</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/woodlands" title="Find Counselling in Woodlands" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Woodlands</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/yishun" title="Find Counselling in Yishun" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Yishun</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> <li class="main-nav--toggle"> <a href="#" class="main-nav--toggle-link">Get Help</a> <div class="main-nav--panel d-none"> <div class="container"> <div class="d-grid main-nav--basics"> <div class="main-nav--basics--column-1 d-grid"> <div class="main-nav--basics--column-first"> <div id="block-basicslinkmenublock-mental-health"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Mental Health</div> <div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/addiction" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/50109">Addiction</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/anxiety" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41827">Anxiety</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/adhd" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41094">ADHD</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/aspergers-syndrome" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41798">Asperger's</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/autism" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/40997">Autism</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/bipolar-disorder" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41105">Bipolar Disorder</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/chronic-pain" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53685">Chronic Pain</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/depression" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/40725">Depression</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/eating-disorders" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41459">Eating Disorders</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="main-nav--basics--column-second"> <div id="block-basicslinkmenublock-personality"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Personality</div> <div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/passive-aggression" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53837">Passive Aggression</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/personality" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53843">Personality</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/shyness" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53941">Shyness</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="block-basicslinkmenublock-personal-growth"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Personal Growth</div> <div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/motivation" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53823">Goal Setting</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/happiness" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53757">Happiness</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/positive-psychology" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53862">Positive Psychology</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/smoking" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53954">Stopping Smoking</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="main-nav--basics--column-third"> <div id="block-basicslinkmenublock-relationships"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Relationships</div> <div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/low-sexual-desire" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/69085">Low Sexual Desire</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/relationships" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53894">Relationships</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/sex" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53931">Sex</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="block-basicslinkmenublock-family-life"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Family Life</div> <div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/child-development" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53683">Child Development</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/parenting" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53833">Parenting</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="h3"><a href="/sg/basics" class="right-chevron-after">View Help Index</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="main-nav--basics main-nav--basics--column-2"> <div class="main-nav--basics--column-fourth"> <div id="block-gethelpindexlinksblock" class="block"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Do I Need Help?</div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="/sg/tests" title="Self Tests" hreflang="en-sg"> Self Tests <div class="result-tag">NEW</div> </a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="/sg/basics/therapy" title="Therapy Center" hreflang="en-sg">Therapy Center</a> </li> </ul> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Recently Diagnosed?</div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="/sg/conditions" title="Diagnosis Dictionary" hreflang="en-sg"> Diagnosis Dictionary </a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="/sg/types-of-therapy" title="Types of Therapy" hreflang="en-sg"> Types of Therapy </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div id="block-countrymenufindlinksblock" class="block"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Talk to Someone</div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling" title="Find Counselling">Find Counselling</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?category=online-counselling" title="Find Online Therapy">Find Online Therapy</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> <li class="main-nav--toggle"> <a href="#" class="main-nav--toggle-link">Magazine</a> <div class="main-nav--panel d-none"> <div class="container"> <div class="main-nav--magazine d-grid"> <div class="views-element-container block" id="block-views-block-magazine-block-1"> <div><div class="js-view-dom-id-4c4eadd62586086aed73d485a680b7a09e314ebc2cea2882782609f34c985bf0"> <div class="h3 main-nav--section-title">Current</div> <div> <div class="magazine-issue magazine-cover-feature"> <div class="magazine-cover-feature__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/11" title="November 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-10/2024-11.png.jpg?itok=MK2t-Nce" width="384" height="504" alt="November 2024 magazine cover" title="Ditch Perfection & Rebalance Your Life" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> <div class="magazine-cover-feature__text"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/11" title="November 2024"> <div class="h3 magazine-cover-feature__date"> November 2024 </div> <div class="h3 magazine-cover-feature__headline"> The Perfectionism Trap </div> </a> <div class="magazine-cover-feature__highlight"><p> When we fall prey to perfectionism, we think we’re honorably aspiring to be our very best, but often we’re really just setting ourselves up for failure, as perfection is impossible and its pursuit inevitably backfires. </p></div> </div> </div> </div> <a href="https://subscribe.psychologytoday.com" class="btn btn-info btn-md-cta" title="Subscribe to Psychology Today Magazine">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-element-container block" id="block-views-block-magazine-block-2"> <div> <div class="js-view-dom-id-f6b1762d48ec4583ba08d76443fe83359b8cc72619682aef833a1af9dfccd907"> <div class="h3 main-nav--section-title">Recent</div> <div class="magazine-row"> <div class="views-row"><div class="magazine-issue magazine-issue--magazine-cover"> <div class="magazine-cover__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/09" title="September 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-08/2024-09.png.jpg?itok=f_Oawcrq" width="384" height="504" alt="September 2024 magazine cover" title="Diagnosed in Adulthood" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"><div class="magazine-issue magazine-issue--magazine-cover"> <div class="magazine-cover__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/07" title="July 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-06/2024-07.png.jpg?itok=pCeLoQbs" width="384" height="504" alt="July 2024 magazine cover" title="Stand Up For Yourself" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"><div class="magazine-issue magazine-issue--magazine-cover"> <div class="magazine-cover__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/05" title="May 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-04/2024-05.png.jpg?itok=3uPTD2oA" width="384" height="504" alt="May 2024 magazine cover" title="Everyday Triggers" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"><div class="magazine-issue magazine-issue--magazine-cover"> <div class="magazine-cover__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/03" title="March 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-02/2024-03.png.jpg?itok=UyoZyp1R" width="384" height="504" alt="March 2024 magazine cover" title="Emotional Intelligence" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive" class="btn btn-secondary btn-md-cta" title="Psychology Today Issue Archive">Issue Archive</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> <li class="main-nav--toggle"> <a href="#" class="main-nav--toggle-link">Today</a> <div class="main-nav--panel d-none"> <div class="container"> <div class="main-nav--today d-grid"> <div class="views-element-container block" id="block-views-block-news-today-menu-block-1"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">News</div> <div class="news-today-menu-block-1-content"></div> </div> <div class="views-element-container block" id="block-views-block-menu-blog-entry-essentials-block-1"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Essential Reads</div> <div class="menu-blog-entry-essentials-block-1-content"></div> </div> <div id="block-menutrendingtopics" class="block"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Trending Topics in Singapore</div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/emotional-intelligence" hreflang="en-sg" title="Emotional Intelligence">Emotional Intelligence</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/narcissism" hreflang="en-sg" title="Narcissism">Narcissism</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/gaslighting" hreflang="en-sg" title="Gaslighting">Gaslighting</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/bias" hreflang="en-sg" title="Bias">Bias</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/affective-forecasting" hreflang="en-sg" title="Affective Forecasting">Affective Forecasting</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/neuroscience" hreflang="en-sg" title="Neuroscience">Neuroscience</a> </li> </ul> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title main-nav--basics-index-link"><a href="/sg/basics" class="right-chevron-after">See All</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> </ul> <div class="main-nav--location-switch location-switch"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/counsellors?domain=content&cc=sg&cl=en" class="location-switch--link">sg</a> </div> <div class="main-nav--toggle main-nav--toggle--search"> <a href="#" class="main-nav--toggle-link">Search</a> <div class="main-nav--panel d-none"> <div class="container"> <div class="main-nav--search"> <div id="block-navsearchblock" class="block"> <div class="h1 main-nav--search-block-form__header">Search</div> <form class="form--search-block-form" action="/sg/archive" method="get" id="search-block-form" accept-charset="UTF-8"> <div> <div class="search form-group"> <div class="form-item form-type-textfield form-item-search-block-form"> <label for="edit-search-block-form--2">Search</label> <input title="Enter the terms you wish to search for." placeholder="Search Archives" type="text" id="edit-search-block-form--2" name="search" value="" size="15" maxlength="128" class="form-text main-nav--search-block-form__input" /> </div> <div class="form-actions form-wrapper" id="edit-actions"> <div class="btn-text icon search"></div> <input class="main-nav--search-block-form__submit btn-info btn btn-default form-submit" type="submit" id="edit-submit" name="op" value="Search" /> </div> </div> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="find-therapist-subheader-block block" id="block-findtherapistsubheaderblock-2"> <div class="td_fat_subheader"> <div class="container"> <div class="td_fat_subheader__content"> <form name="prof_search" method="POST" action="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling" id="SubHeader_TherpistForm" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" data-event-label="PT_BalTopB_find" class="td_fat_subheader_form fat__callout_form find-therapist--form"> <div class="container-fat__callout_form" data-search-suggest="sussex" data-placeholder="Find Counselling (City or Postcode)" data-seamless="true" data-button="text" data-suggestions-url="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/search/suggestions?query={query}&country-code=sg" data-search-url="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?search={query}" data-input-aria-label="Search input text" data-button-aria-label="Search button"> <div class="td_fat_subheader__magnifying-glass"></div> <input class="td_fat_subheader__search" type="text" name="search" placeholder="Find Counselling (City or Postcode)" aria-label="Search input text"> <button type="submit" name="Submit" value="Search" title="" class="td_fat_subheader_submit" aria-label="Search button"></button> <div class="td_fat_subheader__underline"></div> </div> </form> <div class="td_fat_subheader__verified"> <p><img width="18" height="18" loading="lazy" alt="" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-check-circle-gray.svg"/> Verified by <span class="font-weight-semi-bold">Psychology Today</span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="outer-layout-container"> <main class="layout-content layout-container" > <div class="layout-content-full"> <div> <div data-drupal-messages-fallback class="hidden"></div> </div> </div> <div class="layout-container--grid layout-container--has-right-rail retain-ltr-area-order"> <div class="layout-content-main"> <div> <div id="block-pt-content" class="block"> <article data-history-node-id="5028120" role="article"> <div class="blog-entry--header"> <div class="blog-entry--header-first"> <div class="profile-card d-flex"> <div class="profile-card__photo"> <a href="/sg/contributors/laura-visu-petra-phd"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/profile_teaser_small/public/2024-11/Laura%20Visu-Petra%20%281%29.png.jpg?itok=ELmxqKEp" width="128" height="159" alt="Laura Visu-Petra Ph.D." title="Laura Visu-Petra Ph.D." loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> <div class="profile-card__profile-copy"> <div class="h3 profile-card__profile-name"> <a href="/sg/contributors/laura-visu-petra-phd" hreflang="en">Laura Visu-Petra Ph.D.</a> </div> <div class="profile_card__blog-title"> <a href="/sg/blog/mind-riddles" hreflang="en">Mind Riddles</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="blog-entry--header-second"> <h6 class="blog-entry__topic--full text-uppercase-primary-large"> <a href="/sg/basics/parenting" hreflang="en-sg">Parenting</a> </h6> <h1 class="blog-entry__title--full"> Encourage Kids to Tell the Truth, Even With Santa Watching </h1> <h2 class="blog-entry__subtitle--full"> Here are insights from research on promoting honesty in children. </h2> <p class="blog-entry__date--full fine-print"> Posted <span class="blog_entry--date">December 11, 2024</span> <span class="blog_entry--full__review-info"> <span class="blog_entry--full__review-info-bar">|</span> <a href="/sg/docs/editorial-process" class="blog_entry--full__review-info-link"> <span class="blog_entry--full__review-info-icon"></span> <span class="blog_entry--full__review-info-text">Reviewed by Davia Sills</span> </a> </span> </p> <div class="pt-social-media blog-entry-divider"> <ul class="share-buttons"> <li> <a title="Share on Facebook" class="facebook-share-button open-dialog" target="_blank" data-lang="en" href="https://facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=220580041311284&display=page&href=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching&redirect_uri=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" onclick="window.open(this.href,'newWindow','toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480');return false;"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-facebook-md.svg" alt="Share on Facebook" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Share</span></div> </a> </li> <li> <a title="Share on Twitter" class="twitter-share-button open-dialog" target="_blank" data-lang="en" href="https://twitter.com/share?text=Encourage%20Kids%20to%20Tell%20the%20Truth%2C%20Even%20With%20Santa%20Watching%20%7C%20Psychology%20Today&url=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching&related=PsychToday" onclick="window.open(this.href,'newWindow','toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480');return false;"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-twitter-md.svg" alt="Share on Twitter" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Tweet</span></div> </a> </li> <li> <a title="Share on LinkedIn" class="linkedin-share-button open-dialog" target="_blank" data-lang="en" href="https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" onclick="window.open(this.href,'newWindow','toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480');return false;"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-linkedin-md.svg" alt="Share on LinkedIn" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Share</span></div> </a> </li> <li><div class="form-item-type-email js-form-item form-item js-form-type-email form-item- js-form-item- form-no-label"> <a title="Share via Email" class="email-share-button open-dialog" data-lang="en" href="mailto:?subject=Psychology%20Today%3A%20Encourage%20Kids%20to%20Tell%20the%20Truth%2C%20Even%20With%20Santa%20Watching&body=Hi%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20thought%20you%27d%20be%20interested%20in%20this%20article%20on%20Psychology%20Today%3A%0D%0A%0D%0A%20Encourage%20Kids%20to%20Tell%20the%20Truth%2C%20Even%20With%20Santa%20Watching%0D%0Ahttps%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching%3Feml%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A---%0D%0AFind%20Counselling%3A%20https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg&destination=node/5028120"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-email-md.svg" alt="Share via Email" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Email</span></div> </a> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="blog-entry--body"> <div class="blog-entry--body-first"> <div class="d-none d-xl-block"> <div class="pathways_card" > <div class="pathways_card__header"> <span class="pathways_card__title_verified"></span> <div class="h3 pathways_card__title">THE BASICS</div> </div> <ul> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="/sg/basics/parenting" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold" hreflang="en">A Parent's Role</a> </li> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="/sg/tests/personality/parenting-style-test" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold" hreflang="en">Take our Authoritative Parenting Test</a> </li> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?category=parenting" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold">Find a family counsellor near me</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="blog-entry--body-second"> <div class="blog_entry__key-points"> <h3 class="blog_entry__key-points-title">Key points</h3> <ul class="blog_entry__key-points-item-list"> <li class="blog_entry__key-points-item">Children are encouraged to tell the truth, but also punished when they do it.</li> <li class="blog_entry__key-points-item">Adults should praise and reward children's honesty instead of considering it normal or the default.</li> <li class="blog_entry__key-points-item">Parents and educators can use moral stories to promote honesty.</li> <li class="blog_entry__key-points-item">Walk the talk: Adults should model honesty themselves, if they expect it from children.</li> </ul> </div> <div class="field-name-body"> <p><em><strong>Riddle: </strong>Santa fills up the stocking with gifts on Christmas Eve night. But if you’ve been naughty, you might find me in your sight. What am I?</em></p> <p>Despite the ever-present honesty evangelists across various ages and cultures, truth training has never been a popular movement with parents and educators. Children are mostly taught not to tell lies and are sanctioned when caught lying. Pinocchio’s growing nose is a palpable sign of his clumsy deceit, which the fairy <em>“did to give him a severe lesson, and to correct him of the disgraceful fault of telling lies—the most disgraceful fault that a boy can have</em>.”</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-0" data-slot-position="0"></div> <div class="insertArea"> <div class="image-article-inline-half"> <div class="insert-inner"> <div class="insert-image"><img alt="Feyza Altun / Pexels" class="image-article_inline_half_caption" height="310" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/article_inline_half_caption/public/field_blog_entry_images/2024-12/pexels-feyza-altun-smaller.jpg?itok=L39uWD9I" title="Feyza Altun / Pexels" width="320"></div> <div class="caption"> </div> <div class="insertArea--origin subtext">Source: Feyza Altun / Pexels</div> </div> </div> </div> <p>We expect truth-telling to be a natural, almost basic state of an unaltered mind, which is exactly what the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0261927x14535916?journalCode=jlsa"><em>truth default theory</em></a> proposed by Dr. Timothy Levine claims: People are honest unless they have a reason not to be, and people believe others unless suspicion is triggered. However, early on in our lifetime, we come across plenty of reasons not to always be completely sincere.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-1" data-slot-position="1"></div> <p>Clearly, it is not only lies that come with an evident cost. Kids (and grown-ups alike) learn to anticipate dire consequences to truth-telling, such as receiving the answer to our riddle above as an unwanted Christmas present when confessing that they’ve been “naughty.” Or back to Pinocchio’s story, when he naively brags that he has four coins, he is swiftly fooled by the shrewd fox and cat. No wonder that when the fairy asks where the remaining coins are, he produces his first lie, “I have lost them!” although three are still in his pocket. It’s a reminder that a lie begets another lie after the initial naivety is sanctioned.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-2" data-slot-position="2"></div> <p>To make the story even more complicated, as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022096523001352">our research shows,</a> children can successfully alternate between using lies and truths to deceive (called <em>second-order <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/deception" title="Psychology Today looks at deception" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">deception</a></em>) not only to escape <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/punishment" title="Psychology Today looks at punishment" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">punishment</a> but also to proactively gain a competitive advantage to get some desirable rewards.</p> <p>How can we teach children that truth-telling will not result in further loss or punishment, thus fostering more sincerity in our interactions? Some insightful ideas come from one of the world’s leading experts in the field of child deception (and honesty) research, whom we asked to provide some practical tips and tricks. Dr. Victoria Talwar, Canada Research Chair (II) and Professor at McGill University and director of the Talwar <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/child-development" title="Psychology Today looks at Child Development" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">Child Development</a> Lab, suggests parents and teachers could:</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-3" data-slot-position="3"></div> <h2>1. Ask children to promise to tell the truth, but don’t overdo it</h2> <p>Our studies were the first to show that simply asking children to promise to tell the truth increases the likelihood that they will tell the truth about a transgression, Dr. Talwar explains. It doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to be honest—but it does alert them to the importance of telling the truth.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-4" data-slot-position="4"></div> <p>Lots of studies (ours and others) have replicated this. However, I would not say asking children to promise to tell the truth would be effective all the time or should be used all the time!</p> <h2>2. Read them moral stories and talk about the importance of honesty</h2> <p>We have found a <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-21275-001">number of studies</a> suggesting that talking about honesty is particularly important. Parents often talk about the consequences of lying, but it is also important to talk about honesty and give examples (through stories is one method) of what they look like. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022096514001817">Our research found</a> that giving children positive encouragement for telling the truth increased the likelihood of telling the truth.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-5" data-slot-position="5"></div> <p>Overall, these findings all suggest it is important to talk about honesty and encourage it positively. Not just talk about the punishment. You can use stories, or you can use events that have happened during your day as jumping-off points. These discussions will happen over time as your child grows and deals with new situations. It should be an ongoing conversation.</p> <div class="d-xl-none pathways_card" > <div class="pathways_card__header"> <span class="pathways_card__title_verified"></span> <div class="h3 pathways_card__title">THE BASICS</div> </div> <ul> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="/sg/basics/parenting" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold" hreflang="en">A Parent's Role</a> </li> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="/sg/tests/personality/parenting-style-test" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold" hreflang="en">Take our Authoritative Parenting Test</a> </li> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?category=parenting" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold">Find a family counsellor near me</a> </li> </ul> </div> <h2>3. Acknowledge and recognize honesty</h2> <p>We often fail to do this, as we focus on when they lie. Comment on a child’s honesty when you see it, which gives a powerful message that you notice and value it: “I overheard you being honest and telling our neighbor truthfully that it was you who smashed their pumpkin with your ball.”</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-7" data-slot-position="7"></div> <h2>4. Show them that there are positive consequences to truth-telling</h2> <p>We found <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/desc.12883">in several studies</a> that when children see someone else lie, they are also more likely to lie. However, when they see someone lie with negative consequences or tell the truth with positive consequences, this increases the likelihood they will tell the truth about their own transgression. They learn by observing others and learning about the consequences of others’ actions.</p> <div class="card-group card-group--condensed card-group--border-bottom d-lg-none"> <div class="h2 card-group__title"><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/parenting" title="Psychology Today looks at Parenting" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">Parenting</a> Essential Reads</div> <div class="card-group__body"> <article data-history-node-id="5027969" role="article"> <div class="media"> <div class="media--image"> <a href="/sg/blog/liking-the-child-you-love/202412/4-ways-to-free-your-child-from-crushing-self-doubt"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_1_75x75/public/teaser_image/blog_entry/2024-12/kat-j-NPmR0RblyhQ-unsplash%20angry%20tearful%20child.jpg?itok=3K_TMW4T" width="75" height="75" alt="" title="Kat-j-NPMRORblhyhq/Unsplash" /> </a> </div> <div class="h3 media--title"> <a href="/sg/blog/liking-the-child-you-love/202412/4-ways-to-free-your-child-from-crushing-self-doubt" rel="bookmark">4 Ways to Free Your Child From Crushing Self-Doubt</a> </div> </div> </article> <article data-history-node-id="5027902" role="article"> <div class="media"> <div class="media--image"> <a href="/sg/blog/liking-the-child-you-love/202412/behind-the-smile-signs-your-adult-child-is-struggling"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_1_75x75/public/teaser_image/blog_entry/2024-12/adrian-swancar-_2NHZjSMLjA-unsplash%20hands%20hiding%20face.jpg?itok=VWeSsOSa" width="75" height="75" alt="" title="Adrian Swancar / Unsplash" /> </a> </div> <div class="h3 media--title"> <a href="/sg/blog/liking-the-child-you-love/202412/behind-the-smile-signs-your-adult-child-is-struggling" rel="bookmark">Behind the Smile: Signs Your Adult Child Is Struggling</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <h2>5. Adopt a warm, responsive parenting style with firm rules and expectations</h2> <p>Our research shows that it is common and normative for preschool children to tell lies, and this is positively related to their social cognitive abilities. However, our research also shows that in the context of warm, responsive parenting with firm rules and expectations (authoritative parenting), children are less likely to lie to cover transgressions. However, if they perceive the stakes as high enough, most children (and many adults) may still lie. Also, we <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.866964/full">recently found</a> that it may be that higher social cognitive abilities (i.e., <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/theory-of-mind" title="Psychology Today looks at Theory of Mind" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">Theory of Mind</a>) in older childhood and <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/adolescence" title="Psychology Today looks at adolescence" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">adolescence</a> may make them less likely to lie to conceal transgressions.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-9" data-slot-position="9"></div> <h2>6. Model honesty</h2> <p>Our own behavior gives powerful messages—we must “walk the talk.” Words and deeds that match are more powerful than words alone. Our explicit message may be that honesty is important, but kids often see us being dishonest. The implicit message is that we give lip service to the virtue of honesty, but when it suits us, we can “fudge” it and lie.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-10" data-slot-position="10"></div> <p>After all, the first lie in Pinocchio’s story is actually uttered by his very maker, Geppetto, who sells his coat in order to buy Pinocchio a schoolbook and lies to the boy, telling him it’s <em>“Because I found it too hot.”</em> And even if we are not prolific liars, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03637751.2021.1985153">research shows </a>we all have good and bad lie days, so probably our kids do as well. Would <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/the-highly-sensitive-child/202312/lets-talk-about-santa">telling children the truth about Santa</a> this year be a first step in our ongoing journey toward honesty, or are we afraid that it would ruin the magic of the holidays?</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-11" data-slot-position="11"></div> <p><strong>Answer to the Riddle: </strong><em>A lump of coal</em></p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-last" data-slot-position="last"></div> </div> <div class="blog-entry-references" data-hide-large-count-items="false"> <p class="blog-entry-references-label">References</p> <div class="blog-entry-references-content-items"> <div class="blog-entry-references-content"> <p>Engarhos, P., Shohoudi, A., Crossman, A., & Talwar, V. (2020). Learning through observing: Effects of modeling truth‐and lie‐telling on children’s honesty. <em>Developmental science</em>, <em>23</em>(1), e12883. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12883">https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12883</a></p> <p>Evans, A. D., & Talwar, V. (2024). Encouraging honesty: Developmental differences in the influence of honesty promotion techniques. <em>Developmental Psychology</em>, <em>60</em>(3), 481–490. <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/dev0001640">https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001640</a></p> <p>Levine, T. R. (2022). Truth-default theory and the psychology of lying and deception detection. <em>Current Opinion in Psychology</em>, <em>47</em>, 101380.<em> </em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101380">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101380</a></p> <p>Prodan, N., Ding, X. P., & Visu-Petra, L. (2024). Truthful yet misleading: Elementary second-order deception in school-age children and its sociocognitive correlates. <em>Journal of Experimental Child Psychology</em>, <em>237</em>, 105759. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105759">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105759</a></p> <p>Talwar, V., & Lavoie, J. (2022). Lie-telling for personal gain in children with and without externalizing behavior problems. <em>Journal of Experimental Child Psychology</em>, <em>219</em>, 105385. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105385">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105385</a></p> <p>Talwar, V., Arruda, C., & Yachison, S. (2015). The effects of punishment and appeals for honesty on children’s truth-telling behavior. <em>Journal of Experimental Child Psychology</em>, <em>130</em>, 209-217. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.09.011">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.09.011</a></p> <p>Visu-Petra, L., Prodan N., & Talwar, V. (2022). <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-08308-036">Children’s Lies: Intersecting Cognitive Development, Theory of Mind, and Socialization</a> in P. K. Smith & C.H. Hart (Eds.) The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Social Development. Second Edition (p. 668-687) Wiley-Blackwell, UK.</p> </div> </div> <button class="btn btn-default btn-md blog-entry-references-more" type="button" data-show-large-count-items="false"> <span class="blog-entry-references-more__primary-text"> More </span> <span class="visually-hidden blog-entry-references-more__secondary-text"> references </span> </button> </div> <div class="social-links-bottom"> <div class="pt-social-media blog-entry-divider"> <ul class="share-buttons"> <li> <a title="Share on Facebook" class="facebook-share-button open-dialog" target="_blank" data-lang="en" href="https://facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=220580041311284&display=page&href=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching&redirect_uri=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" onclick="window.open(this.href,'newWindow','toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480');return false;"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-facebook-md.svg" alt="Share on Facebook" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Share</span></div> </a> </li> <li> <a title="Share on Twitter" class="twitter-share-button open-dialog" target="_blank" data-lang="en" href="https://twitter.com/share?text=Encourage%20Kids%20to%20Tell%20the%20Truth%2C%20Even%20With%20Santa%20Watching%20%7C%20Psychology%20Today&url=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching&related=PsychToday" onclick="window.open(this.href,'newWindow','toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480');return false;"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-twitter-md.svg" alt="Share on Twitter" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Tweet</span></div> </a> </li> <li> <a title="Share on LinkedIn" class="linkedin-share-button open-dialog" target="_blank" data-lang="en" href="https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching" onclick="window.open(this.href,'newWindow','toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480');return false;"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-linkedin-md.svg" alt="Share on LinkedIn" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Share</span></div> </a> </li> <li><div class="form-item-type-email js-form-item form-item js-form-type-email form-item- js-form-item- form-no-label"> <a title="Share via Email" class="email-share-button open-dialog" data-lang="en" href="mailto:?subject=Psychology%20Today%3A%20Encourage%20Kids%20to%20Tell%20the%20Truth%2C%20Even%20With%20Santa%20Watching&body=Hi%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20thought%20you%27d%20be%20interested%20in%20this%20article%20on%20Psychology%20Today%3A%0D%0A%0D%0A%20Encourage%20Kids%20to%20Tell%20the%20Truth%2C%20Even%20With%20Santa%20Watching%0D%0Ahttps%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/mind-riddles/202412/encourage-kids-to-tell-the-truth-even-with-santa-watching%3Feml%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A---%0D%0AFind%20Counselling%3A%20https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg&destination=node/5028120"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-email-md.svg" alt="Share via Email" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Email</span></div> </a> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="pt-ad pt-ad--300x250 d-block d-none d-md-block d-lg-none block" id="block-adblock-20"> <div class="pt-ad--container pt-ad-show-text"> <div class="pt-ad--text"> <span>advertisement</span> </div> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1424993595349-0" class="pt-ad--content"> <script type="text/javascript"> if (window.googletag && googletag.apiReady) { googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1424993595349-0'); }); } </script> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="region__content-main-additional"> <div id="block-blogentryaboutauthor" class="block block--content-main-additional"> <div class="layout-container--grid--content-main-additional"> <div class="layout-content-left-rail"> <div class="h2 block-title">About the Author</div> </div> <div class="layout-content-main"> <div class="about-author-card"> <div class="about-author__photo"> <a href="/sg/contributors/laura-visu-petra-phd" hreflang="en"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/thumbnail_115x140/public/2024-11/Laura%20Visu-Petra%20%281%29.png.jpg?itok=nRSeak9D" width="115" height="140" alt="Laura Visu-Petra Ph.D." title="Laura Visu-Petra Ph.D." /> </a> </div> <div class="about-author__copy"> <a href="/sg/contributors/laura-visu-petra-phd" class="about-author-bio" hreflang="en"> <p><strong>Laura Visu-Petra, Ph.D.,</strong> psychologist, researcher, and RiddleLab coordinator, explores with an enthusiastic team outstanding questions (which might puzzle you as well) about individual differences in cognitive and socio-emotional development across the lifespan.</p> </a> <div class="about-author-online"> <div class="h3 heading--inline">Online:</div> <a href="https://riddlelab.ro/">Riddle Lab</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063657186174">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/RiddleLab_UBB">Twitter</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="block-blogentrymorefrompt-3" class="layout-content layout-container block--more-from-pt"> <div class="h2 block-title">More from Psychology Today</div> <div class="more-from-pt-block-content grid--container grid--container-1-1-1-1"></div> </div> </div> </div> <aside class="layout-content-right-rail" role="complementary"> <div> <div class="pt-ad pt-ad--multisize d-none d-lg-block d-xl-block pt-ad--scroll block" id="block-ad-scroll-300x-right-www"> <div class="pt-ad--container pt-ad-show-text"> <div class="pt-ad--text"> <span>advertisement</span> </div> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1391201642419-0" class="pt-ad--content"> <script type="text/javascript"> if (window.googletag && googletag.apiReady) { googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1391201642419-0'); }); } </script> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card-group"> <div class="card-group__body clinical-pathway-or-most-popular-content"></div> </div> <div class="views-element-container block blog__authors-block" id="block-views-block-blog-authors-block-1"> <div><div class="js-view-dom-id-cd76dec3a2796d39fc4b0ff599f854e260a2f6c5b6afc61c3d9352a2565e9160"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="pt-ad pt-ad--300x600 d-none d-lg-block d-xl-block block" id="block-ad-blog-entry-300x600-right2-www-site"> <div class="pt-ad--container pt-ad-show-text"> <div class="pt-ad--text"> <span>advertisement</span> </div> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1390414551849-0" class="pt-ad--content"> <script type="text/javascript"> if (window.googletag && googletag.apiReady) { googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1390414551849-0'); }); } </script> </div> </div> </div> <div id="block-findatherapistblock-4" class="block"> <div class="country find-therapist"> <div class="find-therapist--main"> <div class="h2 find-therapist--title"><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling">Find Parenting Counselling</a></div> <p class="find-therapist--copy"> Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today. </p> <form action="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?category=parenting" method="GET" class="find-therapist--form"> <div class="container-fat__callout_form" data-search-suggest="sussex" data-placeholder="City or Postcode" data-size="medium" data-section-icons="false" data-mobile-fullscreen="true" data-suggestions-url="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/search/suggestions?query={query}&attributes[0]=16&country-code=sg" data-search-url="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?category=parenting&search={query}" data-input-aria-label="Search input text" data-button-aria-label="Search button"> <div class="search td-search d-flex"> <div class="td-search--input"> <div class="search-field-container"> <label for="find_therapist_search" class="d-none"> City or Postcode </label> <input id="find_therapist_search" type="text" name="search" placeholder="City or Postcode" aria-label="Search input text"> <button type="submit" value="Search" title="" class="search-btn default" aria-label="Search button"></button> </div> </div> </div> </div> </form> <div class="find-therapist--image d-flex"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/default_images/counseling.jpg" width="310" height="300" alt="Counselling" title="Counselling" loading="lazy" /> </div> <div class="h3 find-therapist--cities-title">Cities:</div> <ul class="find-therapist--cities list-style-none"> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/ang-mo-kio?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Ang Mo Kio" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Ang Mo Kio</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/bedok?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Bedok" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Bedok</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/bukit-merah?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Bukit Merah" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Bukit Merah</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/choa-chu-kang?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Choa Chu Kang" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Choa Chu Kang</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/downtown-core?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Downtown Core" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Downtown Core</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/hougang?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Hougang" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Hougang</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/jurong-west?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Jurong West" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Jurong West</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/punggol?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Punggol" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Punggol</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/sengkang?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Sengkang" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Sengkang</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/tampines?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Tampines" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Tampines</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/woodlands?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Woodlands" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Woodlands</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/yishun?category=parenting" title="Find Parenting Counselling in Yishun" data-event-label="PT_City" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Yishun</a></li> </ul> </div> <footer> <div class="find-therapist--footer"> <span class="find-therapist--footer-cta">Are you a Therapist?</span> <a href="https://join.psychologytoday.com/sg/signup?src=WWWCIT" class="find-therapist--footer-link">Get Listed Today</a> </div> </footer> </div> </div> </div> </aside> </div> <div class="layout-content-full"> <div> <div id="block-blogentrymorefrompt" class="layout-content layout-container"> <div class="h2 block-title">More from Psychology Today</div> <div class="more-from-pt-block-content grid--container grid--container-1-1-1-1"></div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <footer role="contentinfo" class="footer"> <div> <div class="pt-ad pt-ad--728x90 d-none d-lg-block d-xl-block d-lg-flex d-xl-flex justify-content-center block" id="block-adblock-21"> <div class="pt-ad--container"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1390414551849-1" class="pt-ad--content"> <script type="text/javascript"> if (window.googletag && googletag.apiReady) { googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1390414551849-1'); }); } </script> </div> </div> </div> <div id="block-footerblock" class="block"> <section class="footer--section-first footer--section"> <div class="container"> <div class="footer--social-media d-flex"> <div class="main-nav--logo logo logo-en"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg" title="Psychology Today">Psychology Today</a> </div> <div class="footer--social-media--links d-flex"> <div class="footer--social-media--links--icon"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/psychologytoday" title="Psychology Today en Facebook"> <img width="30" height="29" loading="lazy" class="svg" alt="Facebook" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/logo/logo-facebook.svg"> </a> </div> <div class="footer--social-media--links--icon"> <a href="https://twitter.com/psychtoday" title="Psychology Today en Twitter"> <img width="30" height="29" loading="lazy" class="svg" alt="Twitter" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/logo/logo-twitter.svg"> </a> </div> <div class="footer--social-media--links--icon"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/psych_today/" title="Psychology Today en Instagram"> <img width="30" height="30" loading="lazy" class="svg" alt="Instagram" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/logo/logo-instagram.svg"> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> <section class="footer--section-second footer--section"> <div class="container"> <div class="footer--navigation d-flex"> <div class="views-element-container"> <div class="js-view-dom-id-a0e31803050a04492e150e081ee6eab1435f2ac6f7618c5c620d6c30f6b22c74 magazine-footer-block"> <div class="h2 magazine-footer-block__title">Recent Issues</div> <div class="magazine-footer-block__container"> <div class="magazine-row"> <div class="views-row"><div class="magazine-issue magazine-issue--magazine-cover"> <div class="magazine-cover__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/11" title="November 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-10/2024-11.png.jpg?itok=MK2t-Nce" width="384" height="504" alt="November 2024 magazine cover" title="Ditch Perfection & Rebalance Your Life" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"><div class="magazine-issue magazine-issue--magazine-cover"> <div class="magazine-cover__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/09" title="September 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-08/2024-09.png.jpg?itok=f_Oawcrq" width="384" height="504" alt="September 2024 magazine cover" title="Diagnosed in Adulthood" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"><div class="magazine-issue magazine-issue--magazine-cover"> <div class="magazine-cover__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/07" title="July 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-06/2024-07.png.jpg?itok=pCeLoQbs" width="384" height="504" alt="July 2024 magazine cover" title="Stand Up For Yourself" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"><div class="magazine-issue magazine-issue--magazine-cover"> <div class="magazine-cover__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/05" title="May 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-04/2024-05.png.jpg?itok=3uPTD2oA" width="384" height="504" alt="May 2024 magazine cover" title="Everyday Triggers" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"><div class="magazine-issue magazine-issue--magazine-cover"> <div class="magazine-cover__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/03" title="March 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-02/2024-03.png.jpg?itok=UyoZyp1R" width="384" height="504" alt="March 2024 magazine cover" title="Emotional Intelligence" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-row"><div class="magazine-issue magazine-issue--magazine-cover"> <div class="magazine-cover__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/01" title="January 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2023-12/2024-01.png.jpg?itok=B11lkLSj" width="384" height="504" alt="January 2024 magazine cover" title="Burnout" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <a href="https://subscribe.psychologytoday.com" class="btn btn-info btn-md-cta" title="Subscribe to Psychology Today Magazine">Subscribe Today</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer--navigation d-flex"> <ul class="list-style-none list-inline"> <li class="copy-opacity-70 font-weight-semi-bold"> <a href="/sg/docs/about-psychology-today" hreflang="en-sg" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/5000407">About</a> </li> <li class="copy-opacity-70 font-weight-semi-bold"> <a href="/sg/docs/editorial-process" hreflang="en-sg" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/5000410">Editorial Process</a> </li> <li class="copy-opacity-70 font-weight-semi-bold"> <a href="/sg/docs/privacy-policy" hreflang="en-sg" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/5000083">Privacy</a> </li> <li class="copy-opacity-70 font-weight-semi-bold"> <a href="/sg/docs/terms-and-conditions" hreflang="en-sg" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/5000084">Terms</a> </li> <li class="copy-opacity-70 font-weight-semi-bold"> <a href="/sg/docs/accessibility" hreflang="en-sg" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/5000099">Accessibility</a> </li> <li class="copy-opacity-70 font-weight-semi-bold pt-footer-consent-link"> <a href="javascript:revisitCkyConsent();">Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Information</a> </li> </ul> <div class="country--flag-name"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/counsellors?domain=content&cc=sg&cl=en"> <img loading="lazy" width="29" height="20" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/flags/flag-lg-sg.svg" alt="Singapore" /> <span class="copy-opacity-70">Singapore</span> </a> </div> </div> <div class="footer--copyright d-flex"> <p class="copy-opacity-70">Psychology Today © 2024 Sussex Publishers, LLC</p> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> </footer> </div> <div id="mobile-menu-container"> <div id="block-mobilenavtoplevelmenu" class="block"> <div class="sidebar sidebar-main" data-sidebar-location="main"> <div class="sidebar__header"> <a class="sidebar-back-arrow" data-sidebar-parent="main">Back</a> <div class="sidebar__logo"> <div class="h1 logo logo-en"><a href="/sg">Psychology Today</a></div> </div> </div> <ul class="sidenav"> <li> <a href="/sg"> Home </a> </li> <li> <a href="#" data-sidebar-target="find-a-therapist"> Find Counselling </a> </li> <li> <a href="#" data-sidebar-target="get-help"> Get Help </a> </li> <li> <a href="#" data-sidebar-target="magazine"> Magazine </a> </li> <li> <a href="#" data-sidebar-target="today"> Today </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="sidebar" data-sidebar-location="find-a-therapist"> <div class="sidebar__header"> <a class="sidebar-back-arrow" data-sidebar-parent="main">Back</a> <div class="sidebar-title">Find a Therapist</div> </div> <div id="block-countrymobilenavigationfindtherapistblock" class="block"> <div> <ul> <li class="menu-list-category"><span>Get Help</span></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling" title="Find Counselling">Find Counselling</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?category=online-counselling" title="Find Online Therapy">Find Online Therapy</a> </li> </ul> <ul> <li class="menu-list-category"><span>Members</span></li> <li><a href="https://member.psychologytoday.com/sg/login" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" data-event-label="PT_TopNav_TherapistLogIn">Login</a></li> <li><a href="https://join.psychologytoday.com/sg/signup" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" data-event-label="PT_TopNav_SignupN">Sign Up</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li class="menu-list-category"><span> Singapore </span></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/ang-mo-kio" title="Find Counselling in Ang Mo Kio" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Ang Mo Kio</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/bedok" title="Find Counselling in Bedok" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Bedok</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/bukit-merah" title="Find Counselling in Bukit Merah" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Bukit Merah</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/choa-chu-kang" title="Find Counselling in Choa Chu Kang" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Choa Chu Kang</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/downtown-core" title="Find Counselling in Downtown Core" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Downtown Core</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/hougang" title="Find Counselling in Hougang" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Hougang</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/jurong-west" title="Find Counselling in Jurong West" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Jurong West</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/punggol" title="Find Counselling in Punggol" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Punggol</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/sengkang" title="Find Counselling in Sengkang" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Sengkang</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/tampines" title="Find Counselling in Tampines" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Tampines</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/woodlands" title="Find Counselling in Woodlands" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Woodlands</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling/sg/singapore/yishun" title="Find Counselling in Yishun" data-event-label="PT_TopNavF_Therapist1" data-event-category="OutboundLink" data-event-action="Click" class="td-city-link">Yishun</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sidebar" data-sidebar-location="get-help"> <div class="sidebar__header"> <a class="sidebar-back-arrow" data-sidebar-parent="main">Back</a> <div class="sidebar-title">Get Help</div> </div> <div id="block-basicslinkmenublock-mental-health-mobile"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Mental Health</div> <div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/addiction" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/50109">Addiction</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/anxiety" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41827">Anxiety</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/adhd" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41094">ADHD</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/aspergers-syndrome" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41798">Asperger's</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/autism" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/40997">Autism</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/bipolar-disorder" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41105">Bipolar Disorder</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/chronic-pain" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53685">Chronic Pain</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/depression" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/40725">Depression</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/eating-disorders" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41459">Eating Disorders</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="block-basicslinkmenublock-personality-mobile"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Personality</div> <div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/passive-aggression" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53837">Passive Aggression</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/personality" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53843">Personality</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/shyness" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53941">Shyness</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="block-basicslinkmenublock-personal-growth-mobile"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Personal Growth</div> <div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/motivation" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53823">Goal Setting</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/happiness" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53757">Happiness</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/positive-psychology" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53862">Positive Psychology</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/smoking" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53954">Stopping Smoking</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="block-basicslinkmenublock-relationships-mobile"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Relationships</div> <div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/low-sexual-desire" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/69085">Low Sexual Desire</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/relationships" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53894">Relationships</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/sex" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53931">Sex</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="block-basicslinkmenublock-family-life-mobile"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Family Life</div> <div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/child-development" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53683">Child Development</a></li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/parenting" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53833">Parenting</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="block-gethelpbasicsindexblock" class="block"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title basics-link-title__view-help-index"><a href="/sg/basics" class="right-chevron-after">View Help Index</a></div> </div> <div id="block-gethelpindexlinksblock-2" class="block"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Do I Need Help?</div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="/sg/tests" title="Self Tests" hreflang="en-sg"> Self Tests <div class="result-tag">NEW</div> </a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="/sg/basics/therapy" title="Therapy Center" hreflang="en-sg">Therapy Center</a> </li> </ul> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Recently Diagnosed?</div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="/sg/conditions" title="Diagnosis Dictionary" hreflang="en-sg"> Diagnosis Dictionary </a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="/sg/types-of-therapy" title="Types of Therapy" hreflang="en-sg"> Types of Therapy </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div id="block-countrymenufindlinksblock-2" class="block"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Talk to Someone</div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling" title="Find Counselling">Find Counselling</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?category=online-counselling" title="Find Online Therapy">Find Online Therapy</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="sidebar" data-sidebar-location="magazine"> <div class="sidebar__header"> <a class="sidebar-back-arrow" data-sidebar-parent="main">Back</a> <div class="sidebar-title">Magazine</div> </div> <div class="views-element-container block" id="block-views-block-magazine-block-3"> <div> <div class="js-view-dom-id-d15fb26878063684e06c98178a655252e585884502106df5fefe0f4c14f191fe sidebar__content"> <div> <div class="magazine-issue magazine-cover-feature"> <div class="magazine-cover-feature__cover magazine-thumbnail"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/11" title="November 2024"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/magazine_384x504/public/magazine/2024-10/2024-11.png.jpg?itok=MK2t-Nce" width="384" height="504" alt="November 2024 magazine cover" title="Ditch Perfection & Rebalance Your Life" loading="lazy" /> </a> </div> <div class="magazine-cover-feature__text"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/magazine/archive/2024/11" title="November 2024"> <div class="h3 magazine-cover-feature__date"> November 2024 </div> <div class="h3 magazine-cover-feature__headline"> The Perfectionism Trap </div> </a> <div class="magazine-cover-feature__highlight"><p> When we fall prey to perfectionism, we think we’re honorably aspiring to be our very best, but often we’re really just setting ourselves up for failure, as perfection is impossible and its pursuit inevitably backfires. </p></div> </div> </div> </div> <a href="https://subscribe.psychologytoday.com" class="btn btn-info btn-md-cta" title="Subscribe to Psychology Today Magazine">Subscribe</a> <a href="/sg/magazine/archive" class="btn btn-secondary btn-md-cta" title="Psychology Today Issue Archive">Issue Archive</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sidebar" data-sidebar-location="today"> <div class="sidebar__header"> <a class="sidebar-back-arrow" data-sidebar-parent="main">Back</a> <div class="sidebar-title">Today</div> </div> <div class="views-element-container block" id="block-views-block-news-today-menu-block-1-2"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">News</div> <div class="news-today-menu-block-1-content"></div> </div> <div class="views-element-container block" id="block-views-block-menu-blog-entry-essentials-block-1-2"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Essential Reads</div> <div class="menu-blog-entry-essentials-block-1-content"></div> </div> <div id="block-menutrendingtopics-2" class="block"> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title">Trending Topics in Singapore</div> <ul class="list-style-none main-nav--basics-links"> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/emotional-intelligence" hreflang="en-sg" title="Emotional Intelligence">Emotional Intelligence</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/narcissism" hreflang="en-sg" title="Narcissism">Narcissism</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/gaslighting" hreflang="en-sg" title="Gaslighting">Gaslighting</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/bias" hreflang="en-sg" title="Bias">Bias</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/affective-forecasting" hreflang="en-sg" title="Affective Forecasting">Affective Forecasting</a> </li> <li class="main-nav--basics-link"><a href="/sg/basics/neuroscience" hreflang="en-sg" title="Neuroscience">Neuroscience</a> </li> </ul> <div class="h3 main-nav--basics-link-title main-nav--basics-index-link"><a href="/sg/basics" class="right-chevron-after">See All</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script type="application/json" data-drupal-selector="drupal-settings-json">{"path":{"baseUrl":"\/","scriptPath":null,"pathPrefix":"sg\/","currentPath":"node\/5028120","currentPathIsAdmin":false,"isFront":false,"currentLanguage":"en"},"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ckeditorheight":{"offset":1,"line_height":1.6,"unit":"em","disable_autogrow":false},"dataLayer":{"defaultLang":"en","languages":{"en":{"id":"en","name":"English","direction":"ltr","weight":0},"es":{"id":"es","name":"espa\u00f1ol","direction":"ltr","weight":1},"fr":{"id":"fr","name":"French","direction":"ltr","weight":2}}},"ptBlogEntryNid":"5028120","ptAd":{"slotPlacement":{"slots":{"728x90_Bottom_www_site":{"name":"728x90_Bottom_www_site","path":"\/1032688\/728x90_Bottom_www_site_Ad_Slot","opt_div":"div-gpt-ad-1390414551849-1","show_ad_text":false,"ad_text":"advertisement","size":[[728,90]],"device_sizes":["large","extra_large"],"ad_theme_type":"pt_ad","display_small":"","display_medium":"","display_large":"1","display_extra_large":"1"},"300x600_Right2_www_site":{"name":"300x600_Right2_www_site","path":"\/1032688\/300x600_Right2_www_site_Ad_Slot","opt_div":"div-gpt-ad-1390414551849-0","show_ad_text":true,"ad_text":"advertisement","size":[[300,600]],"device_sizes":["large","extra_large"],"ad_theme_type":"pt_ad","display_small":"","display_medium":"","display_large":"1","display_extra_large":"1"},"300x_Right_www":{"name":"300x_Right_www","path":"\/1032688\/300x*_Right_www","opt_div":"div-gpt-ad-1391201642419-0","show_ad_text":true,"ad_text":"advertisement","size":[[300,250],[300,600]],"device_sizes":["large","extra_large"],"ad_theme_type":"pt_ad","display_small":"","display_medium":"","display_large":"1","display_extra_large":"1"},"300x250_Mobile_Bottom":{"name":"300x250_Mobile_Bottom","path":"1032688\/300x250_Mobile_Bottom","opt_div":"div-gpt-ad-1424993595349-0","show_ad_text":true,"ad_text":"advertisement","size":[[300,250]],"device_sizes":["small","medium"],"ad_theme_type":"pt_ad","display_small":"1","display_medium":"1","display_large":"","display_extra_large":""},"300x250_in-content3":{"name":"300x250_in-content3","path":"\/1032688\/300x250_In-Content3","opt_div":"div-gpt-ad-1468856734952-0","show_ad_text":true,"ad_text":"article continues after advertisement","size":[[300,250]],"device_sizes":["small","medium","large","extra_large"],"ad_theme_type":"pt_ad","display_small":"1","display_medium":"1","display_large":"1","display_extra_large":"1"},"300x250_in-content":{"name":"300x250_in-content","path":"\/1032688\/300x250_in-content","opt_div":"div-gpt-ad-1456244145486-0","show_ad_text":true,"ad_text":"article continues after advertisement","size":[[300,250]],"device_sizes":["small","medium","large","extra_large"],"ad_theme_type":"pt_ad","display_small":"1","display_medium":"1","display_large":"1","display_extra_large":"1"},"300x250_in-content4":{"name":"300x250_in-content4","path":"\/1032688\/300x250_In-Content4","opt_div":"div-gpt-ad-1557343104304-0","show_ad_text":true,"ad_text":"article continues after advertisement","size":[[300,250]],"device_sizes":["small","medium","large","extra_large"],"ad_theme_type":"pt_ad","display_small":"1","display_medium":"1","display_large":"1","display_extra_large":"1"},"300x250_Mobile_Content1":{"name":"300x250_Mobile_Content1","path":"\/1032688\/300x250_Mobile_Content1","opt_div":"div-gpt-ad-1404853927369-9","show_ad_text":true,"ad_text":"article continues after advertisement","size":[[300,250]],"device_sizes":["small","medium","large","extra_large"],"ad_theme_type":"pt_ad","display_small":"1","display_medium":"1","display_large":"1","display_extra_large":"1"}},"targets":{"targeting":{"HealthCat":[],"OtherCat":["404559"],"SpecialCat":["blog"],"PageNid":["5028120"],"BlogNid":["5027031"],"NodeType":["blog_entry"]}},"exclusions":[]},"units":{"0":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad pt-ad--300x250 d-block d-none d-md-block d-lg-block d-xl-block block\u0022 id=\u0022block-adblock-18\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad--container pt-ad-show-text\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad--text\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan\u003Earticle continues after advertisement\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022div-gpt-ad-1404853927369-9\u0022 class=\u0022pt-ad--content\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cscript type=\u0022text\/javascript\u0022\u003E\n if (window.googletag \u0026\u0026 googletag.apiReady) {\n googletag.cmd.push(function () {\n googletag.display(\u0027div-gpt-ad-1404853927369-9\u0027);\n });\n }\n \u003C\/script\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n","10":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad pt-ad--300x250 d-block d-none d-md-block d-lg-block d-xl-block block\u0022 id=\u0022block-adblock-17\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad--container pt-ad-show-text\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad--text\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan\u003Earticle continues after advertisement\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022div-gpt-ad-1557343104304-0\u0022 class=\u0022pt-ad--content\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cscript type=\u0022text\/javascript\u0022\u003E\n if (window.googletag \u0026\u0026 googletag.apiReady) {\n googletag.cmd.push(function () {\n googletag.display(\u0027div-gpt-ad-1557343104304-0\u0027);\n });\n }\n \u003C\/script\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n","4":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad pt-ad--300x250 d-block d-none d-md-block d-lg-block d-xl-block block\u0022 id=\u0022block-adblock-19\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad--container pt-ad-show-text\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad--text\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan\u003Earticle continues after advertisement\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022div-gpt-ad-1456244145486-0\u0022 class=\u0022pt-ad--content\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cscript type=\u0022text\/javascript\u0022\u003E\n if (window.googletag \u0026\u0026 googletag.apiReady) {\n googletag.cmd.push(function () {\n googletag.display(\u0027div-gpt-ad-1456244145486-0\u0027);\n });\n }\n \u003C\/script\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n","7":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad pt-ad--300x250 d-block d-none d-md-block d-lg-block d-xl-block block\u0022 id=\u0022block-adblock-16\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad--container pt-ad-show-text\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022pt-ad--text\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan\u003Earticle continues after advertisement\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022div-gpt-ad-1468856734952-0\u0022 class=\u0022pt-ad--content\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cscript type=\u0022text\/javascript\u0022\u003E\n if (window.googletag \u0026\u0026 googletag.apiReady) {\n googletag.cmd.push(function () {\n googletag.display(\u0027div-gpt-ad-1468856734952-0\u0027);\n });\n }\n \u003C\/script\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n"}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"fb59c7f08668396797328e5a12c26a8ebc6135153a08bd3230a668c9a943a717"}}</script> <script src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/js/js_21hE7lAt4Sz7KJlc3V8cOBTI0lLYB5ms5WeiQ2gN59c.js"></script> <script src="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js" defer></script> <script src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/modules/custom/pt_ad/js/gpt-process.js?v=1.x" defer></script> <script src="https://resources.psychologytoday.com/directory/search-components/v1.0.14/search-suggestions.min.js" type="text/javascript" defer="true"></script> <script src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/js/js_moFHDfh0ca0aMUPlqZ_OFHaR19ot6W-hEyfjqJhB9bg.js"></script> <script src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/modules/custom/pt_ad/js/ad-scroll.js?v=1.x" defer></script> <script src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/js/js_p2eyKL_ecLC-OpTNL_rkLc1klqzlZFXd3yW0zHpFSu8.js"></script> <script src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/modules/custom/pt_ad/js/inject-inline-ads.js?v=1.x" defer></script> <script src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/js/js_u8bwApIyA9deboWzHCr6QBQDJoPFDfR9LSrLGlZGHvE.js"></script> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

Encourage Kids to Tell the Truth, Even With Santa Watching | Psychology Today Singapore