309. Teen Lies Again? What to Say and How to Rebuild Trust
Your teen lied. Again.
Now you’re replaying the story, checking details, and wondering what else you might have missed. You want to believe your child, and you also need accurate information about homework, plans, and safety.
What can you say that moves the conversation forward?
In episode 309 of The Single Parenting Reset Show, Tess Connolly, LCSW and Parent and Family Coach, walks you through four steps for responding when your teen lies and making a concrete plan to rebuild trust.
Using examples about schoolwork and going to a party without permission, you’ll learn how to address the behavior, understand what happened, and keep responsibility clear.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How to settle yourself before starting a difficult conversation.
- What to say when you know your teen gave you inaccurate information.
- Why a missing assignment in the school portal needs checking before you assume dishonesty.
- How to ask what made the truth hard to tell.
- How to make rebuilding trust specific, with clear expectations and a review date.
- What to do when your teen keeps denying it.
- How to acknowledge honesty while still addressing the original problem.
One sentence to try:
“What felt hard about telling me?”
Use it after you’ve established what happened. Ask once, listen, and come back to the next step.
Your teen needs clear expectations and a way to repair a mistake.
Get the free Tween and Teen Conflict Reset Kit:
Seven practical scripts and a First-Ten-Minutes Plan for tense conversations.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE CONFLICT RESET KIT
⭐️ If your family is stuck in repeating school-morning conflict, book a Parent Reset Strategy Session.
⭐️Join the Family and get your weekly Mindful Kids and Family Journal here: https://www.mindfulkidsandfamilies.com/join-the-family (Get ready for lessons, podcast leads, offers for parents, and ways to win free parent coaching or masterclasses)
📧Connect with Therese (Tess) Connolly, LCSW, CCC here👇: [email protected] Website: www.mindfulkidsandfamilies.com
The Single Parenting Reset Show supports single moms, working moms, and all parents with practical parenting tips on screen time, emotional regulation, co-parenting, stress relief, setting boundaries, building trust, and raising confident tweens and teens, while tackling tech addiction, behavior problems, and parent burnout with conscious parenting strategies for stronger family connection.
#singleparents #parentingtweensandteens #ScreenTime #behaviorproblems #Communication