“If you don’t behave, we’ll call the police.” is a lie that parents generally use to get their young children to behave. Parents’ lies work in the short terms, but a new study led by NTU Singapore suggests that they’re associated with harmful effects when the child becomes an adult.

The research team asked 379 Singaporean young adults whether their parents lied to them when they were children, how much they lie to their parents now, and how well they adjust to adulthood challenges. Adults who reported being lied to more as children were more likely to report deceiving their parents in their adulthood. They also said they faced greater difficulty in meeting psychological and social challenges.

Lead author Assistant Professor Setoh Peipei from NTU Singapore’s School of Social Sciences said, “Parenting by lying can seem to save time especially when the real reasons behind why parents want children to do something is complicated to explain. When parents tell children that ‘honesty is the best policy’, but display dishonesty by lying, such behavior can send conflicting messages to their children. Parents’ dishonesty may eventually break trust and promote dishonesty in children. Our research suggests that parenting by lying is a practice that has bad consequences for children when they grow up. Parents should be aware of this and consider alternatives to lying, such as acknowledging children’s feelings, giving information so children know what to expect, offering choices and problem-solving together, to help children develop good behavior.”

The analysis found that parenting by lying could place children at a greater risk of developing problems that the society disapproves, such as aggression (侵害) and rule-breaking behavior. Some limitations of the study include relying on what young adults report about their past experience of parents’ lying. “Future research can explore using more information providers, such as parents, to report on the same topic,” suggested Asst Prof Setoh.

【小题1】Why is a parental lie mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic for discussion.

B．To tell a popular way to educate children.

C．To prove the great influence of the police.

D．To show the harmful effects of parental lies.

【小题2】The underlined word “deceiving” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “________”.

A．worrying

B．abusing

C．disappointing

D．cheating

【小题3】Why do parents lie to their children based on the passage?

A．Their parents lied to them when they were young.

B．They think lying to their children can avoid wasting time.

C．They believe dishonesty can help solve adulthood challenges.

D．They are afraid their children will suffer more by telling truth.

【小题4】According to the research, which of the following can parents do?

A．Identify with the children’s emotions.

B．Force good behavior on their children.

C．Stop children knowing what to expect.

D．Let children solve problems independently.

【小题5】What does the last paragraph imply about the study?

A．It is quite controversial.

B．It is rather meaningless.

C．It needs to be perfected.

D．It demands honest responses.