Teaching honesty to children of primary school
Honesty is one of the vital virtues involved in the framing of a child’s character and personality. Honesty means speaking truth in all situations. By the time the child enters the elementary school he/she starts understanding the difference between a truth and a lie. Hence if the child is motivated to speak truth and accept the mistakes there are high chances that they get corrected. A child who speaks truth every time is brave and is usually appreciated by everyone in the society. An honest person grows up to be responsible and well behaved individuals, with a good character and high moral values. Dishonesty does not give a long term success hence the children should be trained to avoid telling lies.
A true honest person is highly principled and does not waver in different situations. Even during adverse situations, he speaks the truth and does what he believes to be the best, rather than changing his behavior due to the fear of a temporary failure which is a characteristic trait of a true leader. The best example for this is Abraham Lincoln who was also called as "Honest Abe". The main secret behind his success was his honesty. Even though he was a lawyer by profession, he used to resolve issues and give judgment honestly. He used to return extra money to his clients and won appreciations of his enemies too. Every deed and action of Abraham Lincoln was an example of honesty and hence children should be encouraged to read the life history of Abraham Lincoln.
Teaching good virtues and moral values to children, especially of the present generation, is a very challenging job for parents, as there are few live examples of honesty around us. Development of a child’s character involves interplay of various factors like family, school, individual temperament of child, community etc. Parents are the first examples to children and they learn a lot by interacting with them. Children generally follow what the parents do rather than what they say, hence parents should first avoid telling lies in front of their kids. Children generally hide things due to the fear of getting punished. If parents are friendly and remove the fear from their child’s mind, the chances of speaking truth increases. Even in tough situations like failure in studies, students should be encouraged to be sincere and honest in their attempts for the next time, rather than insulting them for their low marks. Parents should discuss about the good and honest deeds of other children in his peer group so that he or she tries to prove himself or herself as an example. Every honest attempt of a child should be encouraged with praising words. Children should be encouraged to read moral stories, as they are the best means to communicate moral and ethical values. Children should be explained how dishonesty leads to temporary and short term benefits. Childhood is the time when an individual’s personality starts getting framed, hence, by imparting moral values like honesty into their children; parents contribute towards the building up of a healthy society.
