Are All 3-Year-Olds Pathological Liars??

I love my daughter and after reading this post I don't want you to think she is a demon child or the spawn of Satan. She really is an incredibly well-behaved, sweet child, except that she lies. Like, a lot.

Last week, she told her babysitter I was pregnant. I'm not, nor do I have any plans to be in the near future. She just completely made it up. Over the weekend, she started crying for no apparent reason. When I asked her what had happened, she said my boyfriend screamed at her. But I was in the room--and football was on--so I know for a fact he didn't say a word to her.

Yesterday, when she had an accident, she told me it was because grandpa told her she couldn't go to the bathroom. Except that her grandfather lives in Connecticut and she hasn't seen him in over a week. This morning when I asked her who messed up all the shoes on the shoe rack, she blamed it on her father. But he's not even allowed in my apartment. What gives?

I know it's probably normal for kids her age to make things up, but can it possibly be normal for a toddler to lie this much? I've tried explaining to her that she should always tell the truth, but it's just not sinking in. Is she too young to even understand lying or does she know exactly what she's doing?

I've resisted the temptation to call my pediatrician in a panic because part of me thinks/hopes it will all resolve itself in time. But what if it doesn't? What if I'm raising a pathological liar? How do I correct this before it becomes a bigger issue?

Any other moms with kids who like to, umm, embellish the truth? Why do toddlers lie so much? Or, why does my toddler lie so much?? Share your experience or thoughts in the comments.

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