“A lie comes back sooner or later” is an African proverb that explains just one of the many reasons to be honest. What Do You Stand For? A guide to building character for kids by Barbara A. Lewis is a book that places honesty as one of several important characteristics for us all. Honesty can be learned, worked on and improved upon in many different ways.
Even though it may seem easier to tell a lie instead of the truth sometimes, especially if you think it will keep you out of trouble, it is always better to tell the truth. You don’t have to remember a bunch of lies to keep your story straight, nor do you have to keep adding to it to make it more believable.
Telling the truth lets everyone know what really happened and it can also keep others from being blamed for something they didn’t do.
Usually, you actually get into less trouble if you tell the truth about something you did or said that you know is wrong. If you are honest, your friends, family and teachers will trust and respect you more. Most importantly, telling the truth helps you feel calm and peaceful inside. It is the right thing to do.
There are three important things to think about when it comes to working on becoming more honest—to be truthful, to be the real you, and to be trustworthy.
When working on being truthful, remember that even the “little white lies” are wrong. It can be so easy and very tempting to tell lies, but there is always someone who will get hurt by the lies and that someone is usually you.
Each time you tell a lie, it gets easier to lie the next time.
Each time you tell the truth, your truth muscles get stronger and it makes it easier to tell the truth next time.
Being genuine means being the real you. You are what you say you are. Thereal you is the one people see and hear. Being trustworthy means that people can count on you to do the things you say you’ll do. Not only will your friends respect you, but also your parents and teachers. Everyone will know they can count on you, and that is a very good feeling.
Here is a fun way to help you to always be honest. Think about a trafficstop light and three colors of red, yellow and green. Before you make up a story or answer a question with a lie, play Stop! Think! Go! before you do so.
First Stop!— don’t say anything for a moment or two. Then,
Think! —about what really happened and what might happen if you don’t tell the truth.
Then, Go!— and tell the truth.
With practice, this method will become second nature to you and you will get better and better at being honest.
Here are a few ways to practice and learn about honesty…
1 Have a family meeting and discuss what “living a lie” means. Ask your parents if they have ever “lived a lie” and what happened when they did.
2 As a family, watch a TV show together and pay attention to the commercials. Are they honest? Do they use extreme words like “best ever,” ”always,” or “perfect”?
3 Read fables and other stories about real people who have been honest. How did Abraham Lincoln get the nickname “Honest Abe” and what did George Washington do to earn the reputation that he was an honest president? How do stories like the The Boy Who Called Wolf and The Honest Woodsman show the importance of being honest?
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