Children's Falsehoods
Many parents are distressed because of the tendency on the part of young children to tell untruths, "stories" about what they have seen or heard. This tendency is more marked in some children and occurs in the younger years before the senses and faculties are thoroughly under control. There is nothing dangerous about this, it is more often than not the result of a vivid imagination in which the visualizations appear real. The fusion of ideas and illusions sometimes cause the story to be "so awful."
In most cases the child will outgrow this tendency and if carefully and wisely watched over nothing detrimental will come of it. It is an indication of a strong imaginative faculty which, if guided and trained, will later be of immense value to him. Children who have a tendency to this "story telling" should not be punished for it. They should be given to understand that these are imaginary stories and should not be told as the truth. They will, of course, appear real to the child, but he will gradually learn to distinguish between the real and the imaginary.
Two children, both with vivid imaginations, were allowed and encouraged in telling all kinds of imaginary stories, and playing imaginary games, but were taught to discriminate between these and the truth by the use of the word "really." If one began to wonder if the things the other was telling were true and actually happened, he would ask, "Was it really, sister?" "Oh, no, not really," was the reply, and the game or story proceeded. In this way the children developed the faculty and were taught to respect the truth.