Teach Them to be Honest

Have you heard of the phrase “Fake it till you make it”?   This phrase alone shows a lot of what permeates society today.

Picture this:  You’re in line at the grocery store.  You’ve been waiting for what seems an eternity.  There are still 20 people behind you, all of them impatient.  Your items get rung through and you turn to leave.  Just as you reach the exit you look at your receipt.  You see that there was an item that was rung in at the wrong price.  You got it cheaper that what it is worth.  Not only that, but in her rush, the cashier handed you an extra $5.  What do you do?

Fast forward:  You go out to your car, load your groceries in, pile the kids on top and go to get in your seat.  You ding the car next to yours with your car door.  You look and it’s only a teeny scratch.  What do you do?

Your mate, meanwhile, is at a job interview.  He’s been unemployed for a year now.  The interview is going GREAT!  The director asks if there is experience using a particular piece of software.  Your mate’s heard of it before, and knows they’ve used one very similar, but haven’t actually used that exact one.  What do they do?

There are so many situations a day where we are confronted with the opportunity to be honest, or simply “fudge” a little.  Often it will depend on how many are watching.  In the job interview, there is no one to hold the person accountable.  Are the standards different there than if you really crushed someone’s bumper and there was a witness?

We tend to come clean if someone knows we’ve done something.  Quite often it is motivated simply by not wanting to look bad in another’s sight.  But when no one sees, what do you do?  Quite often, we also forget that our children are bona-fide individuals in their own right.  These little minds are watching every moment, and every step we take – and they are learning to do it exactly as we do!  Don’t forget they’re there!

One of the most important things our kids can learn from us is honesty.  If they see you being honest, despite the consequences, they will learn to emulate that character as well.  And they will very likely see, that when you step up to the plate and take responsibility for your actions, people will usually be very quick to forgive.  If they know you are truly sorry, most do not want to make you feel worse.  They want to encourage you.  And many times they are simply surprised, and grateful that you’ve been so honest with them.  It just shows how scarce honesty is today!  So remember, there are always little eyes watching you.  Whether it’s your child, or the child of the person in line behind you, give them a great lesson in the art of living honestly!

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