Honesty

I think the thing I hate the most are lies.  I am trying to educate my children on the importance of being honest and telling the truth.

This I admit is not always easy and we have had times in our lives where sometimes the world seems so grown

up for such young children.  I sit down with them, think of a way of explaining what is going on and talking to them at their level.  I have had to do this with many topics including combat, death and war.  I answer their questions honestly and I always try to show them both sides of a story.  I also do my very best to avoid hateful comments and judging others. 

When one of them does something wrong and I ask about it, I remind them that yes they will be in trouble but if they lie they will not only be in more trouble but will feel bad if they tell me a lie.  That no matter how good the lie is, the truth will always come out one day.   I sit patiently and look each of them in the eye and ask if they have something they need to tell me.  Once we establish who did what I give them a hug and thank them for being honest and taking responsibility and then remind them that what they did was wrong and they need to accept the consequences. 

Honesty is a delicate balance though and in teaching it to my children, I also try to explain to them that they can be honest without being hurtful to others.  Not always an easy task I know but one of equal importance to me.  Respect and honesty go hand in hand.  I feel you cannot have one without the other.