Proud of myself for finding my daughters' favorite treats on sale, I bought each of them a Reese's big peanut butter cup. Coming home, I placed them near the microwave where I could control who ate them, making sure that neither daughter overindulged. The day got away from me and I forgot all about them until much later when I looked and there were no treats in sight.

Asking my daughters about them, I received a definite “no, I didn't see them” from both girls. I knew my husband wasn't home yet, who very well could have been a likely culprit. I know I didn't eat them, leaving my beagle who has accomplished some amazing feats when it comes to sniffing out food but I also knew that I had placed them safely out of her reach.

Looking around the house, I quickly found torn up wrappers behind the sofa where the dog might have stashed them but probably would not have done so in such a neatly planted manner.

Again questioning my daughters, for whom the treats were intended to begin with, one acknowledged that she did indeed eat one peanut butter cup but that the other one, which she did admit to opening, fell to the floor where the dog gulped it up. This admission came after trying to pin the whole event on our innocent pet.

I certainly didn't have a problem with my daughter eating one of the treats but the length she went to cover it up just in case the treats were for some other purpose, just in case she might get in trouble, floored me. I realized that some kids lie to get out of trouble and some kids like to see what they can get away with and some kids do both – and I'm only in the pre-teen years.

Suddenly now, I am on high alert. I have tried to teach my children honesty and integrity. How do you regain trust when a child has a tendency to push the limit and starts testing the waters with little white lies? This Reeses incident is only one of several lately.

If you are facing the same issues, start by watching their eyes. When my daughter won't look at me, I know immediately to ask more questions.

Second, try not to sound suspicious until you find out more. I don't want my kids thinking I never trust them because sometimes they really didn't do it.

Third, hug and praise him or her when he or she does things right as positive reinforcement for good behavior. At the same time, my daughter was grounded from playing with friends for a day for the Reeses cup incident because I'm not going to reward bad behavior either.

Finally, give your full attention when she or he is asking a question. Too many times, I have let my daughter get away with something because she asked when I was distracted and didn't have time to think through the implications of her questions, like asking to play at a friend's until after bedtime. As much as I love her, I can also say she knows what she wants and is getting smarter all the time. I let her know I care by thinking through each request and being clear in the explanation for my “yes” or “no.” She doesn't always like it but respects that I have an answer and reason for my decisions.

Yes, I do get angry if she keeps pushing and my voice does raise a couple of decibels when I have to say, “For the last time, no.” Kids need to see you mean business but also need the balance of love and the willingness of a parent to apologize if their anger gets out of control. Discipline is tough but by staying on top of the issues in advance, many problems can be avoided on the offensive rather than the defensive or after the fact.