Can A Lying Game Help Kids Open Up About School? Here's What Therapists Say

Parent and child opening upIn a recent post shared to Reddit’s r/Parenting, site user u/Temporary-Art-7477 shared their “Tip to get your child talking about their school day”. The original poster (OP) suggested, “Instead of trying to pry info out of your kid about how their first few days of school are going, try playing two truths and a lie with them”. They added that their child has opened up a lot more since they started the game, and also helped OP to recognise when their kid is fibbing. But what do experts think of the method?We asked therapist and bestselling author of 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do, Amy Morin, and child, adolescent and family therapist and founder and clinical director of The Wave Clinic, Fiona Yassin, to share their thoughts. The idea is fun – but it might have drawbacksSpeaking to HuffPost UK, Morin agreed that “Asking, ‘How was your day?’ isn’t likely to open the door to vibrant conversation” with your child. But she agrees with Yassin, who said: “Playfulness and humour can make for good bonding experiences between parents and children, but we must be careful of the underlying agenda here”. Both experts think issues could arise from the lying needed to play the game, calling it “mixed messaging”. “You’re essentially turning lies into entertainment, and the game is about trying to guess when someone is being truthful. This sends a bit of a mixed message if you value honesty,” Morin said. And Yassin added, “Parents should be mindful not to use humour in a way that minimises a child’s experiences.“If a child has had a challenging or negative day, the game may not achieve its aim of bringing that to light. It could also leave the child feeling that the game itself matters more than what they’ve actually been through.”How should I ask my child about their school day? The experience doesn’t have to be clinical and boring, Morin advised – that’ll just put your kids (and you) off the chat. “You can make talking about your day fun by asking silly questions or by telling truthful stories,” she said, and you can also “vary your questions [by asking things like], ‘Who did you help today?’ or ‘What problem did you solve?’”.For Yassin’s part, she says attunement is key. This means you “operate on the same frequency as your child when they’re sharing, and meet them where they are at. This is important because not all children learn and communicate in the same way.” Like Morin, she suggested narrowing your questions rather then asking your child how their entire day was, which may be overwhelming.Some examples she shared were ”‘I remember you were concerned about [insert concern], how did you get on with that at school today’, ‘Who did you spend quality time with today?‘, and ‘Which part of the day did you think would be challenging and how did it turn out?’”Related...'Rough Childhood' Posts Are A 'Disturbing Trend' From Parents, Warns TherapistYour Child Was Called A Racist Slur. Here's How To Talk To Them About ItA Child Went Missing. This 'Looking Loudly' Method Helped Her Mum Find Her

Comments

Breaking news

Everything you need to know about the emergency alert this weekend

Metro

Teaching the deaf to survive in a silent war zone: How Gaza is even more dangerous when you can’t hear Israel’s missiles coming

about 2 hours ago

Grave of thousands of Iranian revolution victims turned into car park

Independent

Sudanese villagers dig with hands to reach landslide victims, group says

BBC News

Comments

Breaking news

Everything you need to know about the emergency alert this weekend

Couple in wheelchairs detained by police during Palestine Action protest in London

Husband of woman missing in Greece identifies her ‘from only her bones’

Nigel Farage In Fresh U-Turn As He Vows To Deport Women To The Taliban

Trump says he and Modi will ‘always be friends’ despite escalating trade war

Arrests begin at Palestine Action protest as hundreds gather in Parliament Square

Nigel Farage confirms he would send women asylum seekers back to Taliban in Afghanistan

How romance and a road trip led to the purchase of the world's oldest drive-in theater

Donald Trump was an FBI ‘informant’ on Jeffrey Epstein, Republican Mike Johnson claims

Teaching the deaf to survive in a silent war zone: How Gaza is even more dangerous when you can’t hear Israel’s missiles coming

Grave of thousands of Iranian revolution victims turned into car park

Thousands of Ohio students left without a school bus ride as private school transport expands

A quick look back at this week’s biggest stories

Female prisoners who gave birth behind bars were handcuffed and guards watched breastfeeding

Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London

Police Scotland warn Pro-Palestine protestors they will take action amid Edinburgh protest

Farage confirms he wants to deport women asylum seekers back to Taliban in Afghanistan

'You must not approach him': Man wanted in connection with murder

Trump orders 'take down' of 44-year-old peace vigil opposite White House

Donatella Versace among mourners as Giorgio Armani lies in state

Vicious mum and her murderous boyfriend killed her 9-year-old son in the bath

American living in UK shares three things she feels are 'illegal' to do here

Drivers can be fined £2,500 for sleeping in their car after a night out

Boy lived with parents for five months before they realised he wasn't their son

CHRISTINA MCANEA: 'Fixing social care is right thing to do, and how Labour proves it’s ready to govern'

Kate Middleton and Prince William to attend separate Women's Rugby World Cup matches

Top Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg addresses Reform defection after Nadine Dorries

Total lunar eclipse blood moon occurs this weekend - how to see it

BREAKING: Nigel Farage says he will deport women and children back to Taliban

Dad shares horror at illegal eviction and landlord who kept removing doors

Warnings renters rights reforms risks 'tidal wave' of illegal evictions

'Jet2 gave me a broom cupboard for a hotel room in holiday from hell for bizarre reason'

Cheerleader charged with 'abuse of corpse' after dead baby found in wardrobe

Doctors find thermometer that was lodged inside woman's bottom for 22 years

Condo owner who heard 'strange' noises in the walls discovers man living inside a crawl space

Romeo Beckham cuts a trendy figure in a black leather jacket as he rings in his 23rd birthday with family at lavish London venue - but there is once again no Brooklyn

Princess Andre's snap with Paris Fury 'sparks a new bitter twist in parents Peter Andre and Katie Price's explosive feud'

Perrie Edwards is pregnant! Little Mix star reveals she is expecting her second child with her footballer fiancé Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Disgusting online outbursts, convictions and 'racism' claims... yet MMA fighter Conor McGregor could still become President of Ireland. Here's why - and what he'd do with power...

Nigel Farage says Reform WILL deport Afghan women back to the Taliban if they arrive in Britain via small boats - as he rolls back his pledge to end the Channel crisis 'within two weeks'

Alan Davies reveals ex Julia Sawalha branded him a 'c***' and flew home early from a trip after a drunken row as he details the impact his abusive father had on his relationships

College professor dies in devastating accident when cable car broke loose in Portugal

Dubai prison hell of British law student revealed: 23-year-old is 'in living hell' in violent jail after being sentenced to 25 years in one-day hearing for being caught with 50 grams of cocaine

Barclays banking app goes down: Furious customers say they cannot withdraw money or make payments due to IT meltdown

SUE REID: As Government promises to stop the boats, startling pictures of crowds queuing in France to catch traffickers' ride to Dover will startle and anger Britain

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, looks solemn as she dons black attire for her first public engagement since Duchess of Kent died aged 92

Angela Rayner faces calls to give up £17,000 government payoff after quitting over tax affairs - as experts suggest she could be hit with near-£50,000 bill by HMRC

Sudanese villagers dig with hands to reach landslide victims, group says

Man discovered secretly living in Oregon home

'It's the Vinai show' - meet the former Arsenal chief who now runs Spurs

Starmer resets after Rayner row, but Labour turmoil is a gift for Reform

Matt Tebbutt to replace Gregg Wallace on MasterChef: The Professionals

Farage shifts on two-week small boats pledge

Men + Women + Apps = Bad Romance

Israel Targets More Buildings in Gaza City and Warns Residents to Flee

Inside Iran After the 12-Day War

Thrust Into the Line of Fire, Iranians Worry About What Comes Next

‘Democrats Should Let the Government Shut Down’

When It Comes to Spotting Fake Receipts, It’s A.I. vs. A.I.

Barclaycard down leaving customers unable to withdraw cash