My eight year-old son just spent a week at cub scout day camp (home in the evenings), after which he has been lying extensively. He has had problems with extensive lying before, but had mostly gotten out of the habit. He has also backslid before after other week-long social events, such as a family reunion or when his aunt watched him during the day while his sister was in the hospital.
What causes the backsliding behavior, and how can we mitigate it?
I think a big cause of this would be something along the lines of peer pressure, or influence in this case. Just a week of influence can take a toll for months. I think a good idea is to see who he is hanging around at school or these camps. If a few of them are known to lie then (like the sponge kids are) he too with start this habit.
If that is the case then try to talk with him about getting away from those kids. It may be hard for him to do, but make sure he knows why you want him to do it.
Could it be that he's being picked on, bullied, or abused by someone at these events (or picking on someone else) and lying to cover it up? And then lying about everything else, because it trips him back into the habit?
I think a need of his is not getting met and it could be one of two things. If he is saying white lies as to not hurt yours or other people, then this may be a sign that he is becoming more empathetic this not necessarily a bad thing. On the other hand, if the lies have more to do with deceiving for his own personal gain or entertainment, then it might be more about control. The underlying reason must be uncovered and then addressed in an appropriate manner.
When a child goes into a new environment, that child must negotiate a new set of rules and so it is normal for old behaviors to surface upon return if the root cause was never addressed.
Sorry can't provide more details without more information regarding the nature of the lying.
