Dr. Anish N R K (Psychiatrist and Mental Health Expert with interest in Child Psychiatry) gave a vey informative talk in Doordarsan Malayalam at 6.30 pm on October 24, the topic was “kuttikal kallam parayumpol….”. He also responded to parenting queries posed by the callers.

He mentioned that it is important for parents to teach children the value of telling the truth than to punish them for minor misdeeds. Setting rules within the family, praising children for their honesty, taking time to listen to your child and gaining their trust are important ways to tackle the problem. As a parent, being honest makes you the best role model for your child.

He also added that rarely, lying is an indication of an emerging mental illness like conduct disorder. Conduct disorder is characterized by hostile and occasional physically violent behavior and a disregard for the feelings of others. Children with this mental disorder also exhibit cruelty, from pushing and hitting, hurting others, picking fights, theft, use of drugs and so on. In such cases, counseling and other medical intervention might be required.