Hide and seek: when children’s silence turns ominous

THIS WEEK: Why do children withhold information?
We have all done it at some time or the other - withheld information about something as innocuous as a lost fountain pen or other things more grave such as a flunked test. But, as parents, when we are at the other end, it sets the alarm bells ringing. Could this just be the tip of the proverbial iceberg where more crucial information is withheld, which could in turn get the child into serious trouble? Is there really cause for alarm and are there ways of working around this barrier of no confidence?

It's true that, as parents, we do jump the gun and see one detention as habit-forming if it is not nipped in the bud. But, at the same time, one spontaneous reaction ought not to make or mar a healthy relationship. The trick, then, is to have the channel of communication constantly open.