Kids can have incredibly wild imaginations, and a lot of the time, that just leads to silly games and harmless stories. Sometimes, though, a joke can go much further than anyone expected and cause some very real consequences.
One woman and her twin found that out the hard way after deciding to convince their classmates that they were actually triplets and had a secret sister hidden at home. What started as a childhood prank soon got social services involved, and somehow, the mess it created is still following the family decades later.
Read the full story below.
A pair of twins decided to pull a prank as kids, only for it to spiral completely out of control
Decades later, the fallout is still following them
Children can begin lying when they’re only two years old, and there are plenty of reasons behind it
Most of us lie in one form or another, often without even giving it much thought. And apparently, we start learning how to do it surprisingly young.
According to Psychology Today, researchers have found that children can begin lying as early as age 2. Around 30% of 2- to 3-year-olds lie, and that number rises to roughly 80% among children ages 7 to 12. By the teenage years, lying is considered almost universal.
Of course, there is a pretty big difference between a child claiming they already did their homework and two kids inventing an entire secret sister who is supposedly being kept in a basement.
In this story, the lie became detailed enough that classmates believed something terrible might actually be happening at home. Once social services got involved, it had clearly gone far beyond a silly schoolyard joke.
So why do kids lie in the first place? Sometimes, the reason is pretty simple. The BBC notes that young children may lie because they want to stay out of trouble.
Mental health specialist Raoul Lindsay explains that children start developing an understanding of morality from a young age and often want adults to see them as “good.” If telling the truth could get them punished, a lie might seem like an easy escape.
Kids might also stretch the truth because they want approval from the people around them. They might brag about being the best player on their team or claim they did something impressive just to look cooler in front of their friends.
Another reason children may lie is simply to make their stories more exciting. “If you ask a child how their weekend was, they might embellish it and let their imagination run wild. It’s a way to help them feel that the creative part of their mind is being used,” Lindsay told the BBC.
Sometimes, kids are simply curious about what lying can do. Clinical psychologist Matthew Rouse told the Child Mind Institute that children may try it because they have discovered a new behavior and want to see what happens.
Parents need to handle children’s lies carefully and appropriately
When kids deliberately lie, how parents respond matters. The Raising Children Network recommends making it clear that lying isn’t OK and explaining why. It’s better to look at what motivated the lie in the first place and respond in a way that addresses the reason behind it.
There should be appropriate consequences, especially if the lie caused harm or affected other people. At the same time, those consequences should make sense for the child’s age and for how serious the situation actually was.
Clearly, the way this whole situation was handled became incredibly messy. There are so many layers to the story, from the original childhood lie to the family fallout and the mysterious person later claiming to be the other twin. It is a lot to untangle.
What do you think of the whole situation? Who do you think was in the wrong? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Most readers blamed the author, saying she didn’t seem to understand just how serious the whole thing had been
While some felt she wasn’t really at fault
Then, in an unexpected turn, the alleged twin sister appeared with her own version of events
Readers had mixed feelings about her response
Later, the original author returned to say that the supposed sister’s post was a lie and that she had no idea who wrote it
The chaotic situation gave readers plenty to wrap their heads around
