And for those who complain that the solution could lead to punishing a
child who happens to be innocent at a given time, just remember that
kids with good records of behavior do not get easily accused, even
when the evidence seems to point to them. Kids who have bad records
and DO get unfairly accused/punished need to hear the well-known Aesop
fable again.

Q: My 6 year old has recently started lying. His favorite sentence is
"I didn't do anything". Even when I catch him in a lie he denies being
at fault. I calmly and consistently punish him for it by depriving him
of toys or fun, but that's not working. He is neither an only child
nor is he deprived of attention. What now?

A: Once the "lying machine" is up and running, punishment rarely works
to shut it down. The fuel for lying is questions parents ask like "Did
you break the window?" when they already know full well that, yes, the
child did it. Questions of this sort set up a cat-and-mouse game that
puts the child squarely in control. Even though the cat usually
catches the mouse, the thrill of the chase keeps the game going on and
on and on like a broken record.

The old adage "Ask them no questions, and they will tell you no lies"
means that when parents know or are reasonably certain they know what
has happened, they should make STATEMENTS, as in, "You broke the
window." Period. If the child still denies, pay no attention to the
denial. Simply say, "Because you broke the window, you will stay
indoors for a week." Then, ignore protests. Refuse to discuss it.
Simply enforce, and repeat as often as necessary.