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Tattle Tales:

When your child starts being around other kids, whether it is around siblings, or they are in daycare, or they are starting kindergarten, you will have to battle with tattletale syndrome.

As a parent, you may prefer that your child always come tell you everything. You want to know if someone is being mean to them, you want to know if someone is doing something that might end up in someone getting hurt, you want to know all of it. But, the bad side to this is that, when they go to school, no one ever wants to be friends with the tattletale.

So, somehow, the parent has to try to teach their child to tell when something is really bad, but to just not tattle on everything that everyone does.

It can cause a lot of problems for your child if they do. Kids will try to get away with stuff; they like to break the rules. And, although you don't want your child breaking the rules and getting in trouble, you also don’t want your child to be the only one left out simply because no one trusts them.

If your child has siblings, the best way to handle this is to practice at home. Teach your child that unless it is something that might cause someone to get hurt, you don't want to hear about it. Tell them that you don't find it acceptable for them to try to get their brothers and sisters in trouble.

If you allow the children to always come tell on each other, it can increase sibling rivalry, too. Everyone is watching the other for things they might be doing wrong so they can go tell. This is just a way to invite more bickering and fighting that the kids already do, and no parent wants that.

The best way to battle this is to teach the child by either completely ignoring what they tell you (as long as it's not something legitimate), and telling them you don’t want to hear it, or by punishing the child who tattled in the same manner you punish the child being told on (this will obviously vary according to what the original child did).

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