How can you tell if your teen is lying to you? There are some key things to look for that are signs of when someone is lying.
- Defensiveness - Teens may become defensive when you ask them where they have been or where they are going. A teen with nothing to hide does not mind offering their parents a way to get in contact with them. Teens that get defensive when asked are most likely hiding something.
- Eye contact - If your teen makes constant eye contact without blinking this can be as alarming as the teen that won't make eye contact with you at all. Usually a teen will not look at you if they are lying to you unless they realize this. Then they over compensate by staring you in the eye and they end up not blinking.
- When people are making stories up they often look down. When someone is telling a story that is honest and true they look up like they are remembering it just as it happened. So, watch for the shoe gazer as they speak.
- The long pause - this is especially useful when you are having a phone conversation and you ask where you teen is or what is going on. There will often be a pause as they come up with a story to tell you.
- Body language - When someone is being dishonest they are often nervous and have physical twitches or they will touch there face.
Before accusing your teen of lying be sure you have your facts straight. No one likes to be accused of being dishonest, especially an honest person. You don't want to have your teen think that you doubt them when there really are not hard facts to prove that you can't. It's crucial that parents and teens build trust so you may need to talk to a counselor about ways to build this.
