10 Things Kids Tattle on Each Other For

Tattling has been around since the beginning of time. Usually kids tattle in order to get attention for themselves, and negative attention for the other sibling or playmate. Listed below are ten things kids tattle on each other for.

1. Hitting. This is the one that we usually tell children to tattle about. The general rule for most parents has always been that unless someone is getting hurt, then don’t tattle.
2. Coloring on Walls. This one tends to be for younger children and again is a form of tattling you may not want to discourage. If one child is being destructive, then an adult should be notified not only to clean the mess, but to discourage the behavior as well.
3. Not Sharing. Probably the most common tale to be tattled is a complaint about not sharing. Try to encourage the children to resolve this issue on their own by helping them to see the others point of view.
4. Inappropriate Words. While this type of behavior should be discouraged, you may wish to encourage the tattler to try a different response to the language. Instead of tattling, suggest that they share their feelings by telling the other child that they don’t think they should be using those words.
5. Sticking Out Their Tongue. More often than not, this one will likely be a repeat offense. Usually the one tattling is the older child who taught the younger one this offense to begin with.
6. Breaking Something. This one goes along with coloring on the wall. A broken item does need to be brought to the attention of an adult, but you can teach them a better way to do that than tattling to get the other in trouble.
7. Breaking a Rule. Most children will tattle on another child if they know a rule was broken. Usually they are trying to show you that they know it is wrong and that they didn’t do it.
8. Skipping School. Older children are usually the offenders of both the offense and the tale bearing on this one. Sometimes it can be done out of spite to get the other in trouble, during a case of sibling rivalry.
9. Coming in Late. Again this tends to go with sibling rivalry and is used by and against older children. You are better off observing the behavior yourself than relying on a sibling to do the apprehending.
10. Stealing. Mostly done out of guilt, kids will tattle on other kids for stealing because they know it was wrong. However, you may come across times when they are trying to get revenge for a previous tattle on them.

For the most part, tattling should be discouraged. Children should be taught how to resolve issues on their own, and how to engage an adult, when necessary, without an accusation against the other party involved.

Taken From Babysitting Jobs