INPUT ARTICLE: Article: In the middle years of childhood, kids lie to protect themselves (or a friend or sibling) from getting into trouble or to prevent you from being angry or disappointed. Kids want everyone to be calm and happy (including themselves), and, if lying suits this purpose, then they'll do it. One of the worst things you can do as a parent is label a child by an offensive behavior. It is the behavior (i.e. lying) that you do not like, but labeling can make it seem as if the child is the problem. Even if you have noticed a consistent pattern of lying in your child, avoid saying the "L" word. Instead, exercise the belief that your child can be honest. Kids should know that you have confidence in their truth-telling abilities, and that you see them as brave or courageous when they are honest - even when telling the truth is scary or hard. Sometimes, adults make the error of putting children into tight situations in which they are tempted to lie. For example, you walk into the living room and see a huge mess on the floor. You have three children. Asking "who made this mess?" in an upsetting tone only pushes each of your children to either lie about not having done it or blame it on someone else. Recognize that being honest requires a great deal of courage, especially when the consequence of telling the truth is facing a red-faced, angry adult who is capable of inflicting punishment. Rather than putting your kids in a corner, simply verbalize your expectations. Say, "the living room isn't a storage space for toys, book bags, or clothes. I need it to be tidy in 20 minutes." If the child sees you lying, they might lie more often. This is not to say that if your child lies, it's your fault. However, parents must understand the old saying that what you do in moderation, your child does in excess. If your child has witnessed you telling little "white lies" or lying to get out of something, then they will see this behavior as acceptable - even if you warn them against it. In order to prevent this, portray honesty in your everyday actions as much as possible. Of course, there are some circumstances in which lying is done to protect someone else's feelings. Younger children usually cannot discriminate between these situations. So, as a rule of thumb, be truthful in your interactions with your children and others. Unlike younger children, kids over 5 typically know when they are lying, which means they know the difference between right and wrong. If they tell a lie to get themselves or someone else out of trouble, then they are already aware of their wrongdoing. Therefore, lecturing to them or going on and on about what they've done is not necessary. What is necessary is helping them to overcome the temptation to be disobedient. Boundary-setting can help alleviate this problem. You can't realistically remove all opportunities for children to misbehave. However, you can minimize these opportunities by setting boundaries in your household and beyond. Look for ways to remove temptations to be disobedient and boost their chances of doing the right thing. For example, getting upset because your 7-year-old ate an entire bag of candy could have been prevented if the candy was not accessible in the first place. It is a fact that most children like candy. Leaving it in plain sight challenges your child's self-control. To overcome this issue, remove the temptation by putting candy away out of your child's reach. Increase the likelihood of your child making good choices by making healthy snacks more accessible. Frequent childhood lying can sometimes be a sign of an underlying condition or mental illness. If it seems like your child is lying for no clear reason, constantly testing adult limits, or lying without remorse, you may need to see a child psychologist. Frequent lying can be a sign of treatable conditions like: Abuse victimization or trauma ADHD Anxiety Conduct disorder Oppositional Defiant Disorder Personality disorders (in rare cases) Problems with self-esteem

SUMMARY: Examine the rationale behind lying at this age. Refrain from labeling your child as a "liar". Don't walk your child into a lie. Model honesty. Set better boundaries. Take action if lying could be a sign of a bigger issue.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you have a lot of dust, consider putting on a dust mask. Also, goggles will keep anything from getting into your eyes, including fine dust. While you're cleaning, place a box fan in a window facing outward. Turn it on, so that when you stir up dust, you blow it outside instead of keeping it in the room. To take on construction dust, a shop vac with a fine dust bag is the best option. It keeps dust from being blown back into the room from the bag, which can happen with a home vacuum. You can rent or buy a shop vac at local home improvement stores. Suck up as much dust as you can in the first go-round with a shop-vac. You'll need to vacuum more later, but you want to remove the majority of the dust from the floor so you're not spreading it around. For new paint, a simple dusting with an extended duster will do. For old paint, you may need to wipe the walls down with a wet rag or an extended mop. Basically, you want to get as much of the dust off the walls as you can. For textured wallpaper, you'll need to use a vacuum attachment to vacuum the dust off. Be sure to get the ceiling and baseboards, too. Wipe down ceiling fan blades, and thoroughly clean light fixtures. You may need to take down the light fixtures to clean them thoroughly. Use a glass cleaner for any glass-based parts to get them sparkling. If the air vents weren't covered for construction, you'll need to clean them now. Take the vents off by unscrewing them, and then wipe down both sides with a damp rag. If they're particularly dirty, you may need to clean them with warm, soapy water. Any furniture that stayed in the house needs to be vacuumed, even if it was covered. With the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner, go over your furniture to remove dust. Dust is likely on any shelves, countertops, and knickknacks that were exposed. Wipe them all down with a damp rag to remove dust. If they're especially dirty, use a gentle cleaner. Whether you have carpet or hard floors, you'll need to vacuum multiple times. It's going to take several passes to get up all the dust, especially on carpet. Once you've gotten up as much dust as you can, mop the floor to get up the rest of the dust. You may need to mop more than once to make sure you get it all. Once you're done stirring up dust, it's a good idea to change your air filter. That way, you can start fresh, and your filter won't be clogged with all that construction dust.

SUMMARY:
Put on safety gear. Set up a fan to blow outside. Rent a shop vac. Vacuum the room once. Wipe down the walls. Clean the lighting fixtures and fans. Wipe down the air vents. Use the vacuum on the upholstery. Wipe down any other exposed surfaces. Vacuum multiple times. Mop hard floors. Change your air filter.