How to deal with a lie (in 8 yr old)

[Viewofthehills]

So DD was crying in the car this morning and didn't want to go into school, which isn't at all like her. Had to get her in as she had gone from early to being late while this was going on. Apparently she went into class and the girls on her table asked why she was crying. And she said... the cat had died!
Not sure what to do about this one as sooner or later a mum is going to ask me what happened to the cat and obviously I am going to tell the truth. Of course we have told her how totally unacceptable it is to say something like this. I'd like to make her tell her friends the truth, but I don't want to humiliate her.

You wouldn't make her tell the truth to her friends to humiliate her, but to teach her the only way on how to fix a lie... you tell the truth.

The feelings she gets when that happens is a consequence that will be more powerful than any advices and words you may try to come up with to avoid this option.

You can call her friends to an uncrowded spot and announce Lucy has something to tell them: and let her talk. She may get questions from the friends as of why did you say bla,bla... and she gets to answer or not (I wouldn't speak for her). Then when she is done you get to praise her in front of her friends and state that although she made a mistake by saying something that was not true, she was brave enough to make it right.

They will hug each other and forget about the whole thing.

If she does not want to come clear w her friends, I'd speak for her and tell the friends Lucy made a mistake by saying something that was not true. Tell them in your family telling the truth is something very important and that you wanted them to know the story was not true. Afterwards let her speak if she wants to.

My 8yr old loved to fantasize and make up stories and we spent a great deal of time bringing him to people to fix his stories until he got it!