Since I haven't posted in while, this certainly isn't meant to shed light on anything; rather, to make you think about the following idea.
One might argue that lying is one of our most primitive forms of self preservation. Similar to a child's natural inclination to say "mine" when challenging another for food, lying presents the opportunity to reliably manipulate any situation into one's own favor. While a worrisome milestone, it's also a milestone indicative of growth and socialization. What I want to explore however, is the sophistication and maturity required to lie on someone else's behalf.
I would submit that most children under the age of 5 are incapable of lying for someone else. No matter how well adjusted, it's simply not a cognitive process that has realized itself. Naturally as that child develops, their understanding of the world around them expands from self-preservation, to collective-preservation. There's the benevolent realization that they cannot survive without the assistance of others. Thus, whether lying on behalf of their best friend who makes English class easier or lying to Child Protective Services because they wish to remain out of foster care, there is a high degree of complexity required to manipulate an externalized situation. So given all of that, what's the motive?
Pfff, I don't know!
But I would certainly love to understand more about the true intentions of a child and how they influence and manage a situation constructed through their own falsehood. Are they innocently destructive in this lie? Constructively cruel? Both? Or neither?
Either way, I would personally find it both comforting and disturbing to learn that my kid is able to externalize a lie. While it would be indicative of better socialization and awareness, it might also imply a trajectory of deception that, if left unattended, could be cultivated into a dangerous personal trait. Clearly my take isn't scientific, but it's certainly something to consider. It's easy to see self-preservation in action, but what exactly is going on when such a young mind is capable of manipulation not only for self, but for others as well?