Do we have to punish lying? Certainly! At an early stage, we must control our child's urge to lie. We could always threaten them not to lie, however, it may do more harm than good. Although you mean good, it only reinforces fear, and this fear may become their very reason to lie. They fear of getting punished so they decide not to confess their sins. Oftentimes, you may also send mixed signals. Even if they admit the deed, you'll punish them anyway, so might as well lie and keep their embarrassments to themselves.
