1. Why do children lie?

I think children usually lie when they don5t want to get in trouble. For example, my younger sister once lied when she broke my mom5s favourite vase. She said that the dog knocked it off the table522 because she wanted to stay out of trouble523. So that just goes to show why kids don’t always tell the truth. Sometimes they’re scared of what happens when they have to face the consequences524.

2. What should adults do when children lie?

I suppose that adults should be kind and patient when their children lie. Of course they should discipline them, but they shouldn’t be too hard on them525. After all, they’re just kids. They’re still learning about right and wrong. So I think adults should sit down with them and have a heart-to-heart about526 why lying is bad. That way, the child can understand why they shouldn’t lie while still maintaining a good relationship with their parents.

3. Why do adults lie?

It seems to me that adults lie when they don’t want to hurt people’s feelings. For example, if someone doesn’t like their friend’s new car, they might lie and say that they do so they don’t hurt their friend’s feelings. It’s kind of silly, but we all tell lies like that from time to time527. There are also some occasions where they don’t want to own up to the truth528 because it makes them look bad. Like if your friend failed a test but said they passed, you wouldn’t want to be the one who clarifies the truth.

4. What are the differences between adults9 lies and children,s lies?

I suppose that children5s lies are a lot less harmful. I mean, lying definitely isn5t good one way or the other529. But when children tell lies, they tend to be more innocent. They aren’t really trying to hurt anyone. They’re just trying to stay out of trouble. But as people grow older and become adults, they start dealing with more important things. It’s very easy to tell a lie that ends up hurting someone else’s feelings, or causing serious damage to someone. For example, a lot of broken marriages are caused by lies between the couples.

5. Is it always good to tell the truth?

I think that in general, it’s always good to tell the truth. When you tell a lie, you run the risk of being found out later. And people are usually much more hurt to discover the truth later on than they would’ve been if you confessed530 right away. But there are times when people don’t really need to hear the truth. For example, when some people get an incurable531 disease like cancer or HIV, they won’ t want to hear how much time they have left. Their family might lie to them by comforting them and saying they’ll get better and won’t die. Sometimes it’s more important to be kind than to be completely honest.

522 knocked it off the table:把它从桌子上碰掉了
523 stay out of trouble:避开麻烦
524 face the consequences：承担后果
525 too hard on them:对他们太严苛
526 have a heart-to-heart about:好好谈一谈
527 from time to time:时不时地
528 own up to the truth:承认事实，承认错误
529 one way or the other:不管怎样
530 confessed:坦白真相
531 incurable:不可治愈的