Fibbing about a medical procedure
Parents instinctively try to minimize their children’s pain, whether by reassuring them that they’ll survive after a minor fall, or telling them that a shot won’t be painful. While recovering from minor cuts and scrapes is guaranteed, feeling no pain from shots or invasive medical procedures is not. When a parent promises a young child that an imminent shot is painless, and then it’s not—trust between parent and child is weakened. Though parents want to spare their children the anticipation of pain, loss of trust is far more damaging in the long run. Instead, you might say, “This will hurt a little, but it will be quick and then you’ll be all done. It’s all right to cry, I’ll be right here holding your hand. I’m so proud of you for letting the doctor keep you healthy!”