Episode 49: The Art of Raising Honest Children with Integrity

In This Episode:

Children learn way more by watching what we do, than by listening to what we say to do.

This is why it is so important to live our lives with integrity and good character. It was super important before we had children, but it's more important now than ever as it could impact generations to come.

There are quite a few definitions of integrity floating around, but I like this one the most.

Integrity – doing the right thing even when no one is watching. It's personal honesty.

It's a biggie to resist those temptations to tell little white lies or big hairy tall tales.

Don't tell the person at the ticket booth that your child is really 9 instead of 12 to get a reduced price ticket. Don't sneak into hotel pools when you're not a guest. Don't go past the "Do Not Enter" signs and all of the other of gazillion things that can be tempting to do. It may save you a few bucks at the movie theater to sneak in Candy from the outside, but in the long run, it costs way more than a few bucks. You can compromise your kid's integrity. And, that is so valuable.

When someone is true to their values of honesty and integrity, it usually generalizes to other areas of their lives.

So, take every opportunity to be honest, even when your child isn't present, even when it cost you more money, even when it means that you will be inconvenienced, even when it's hard... Resisting the urge to gossip about someone else's life can help your child develop trusting relationships that are solid as a rock too. It helps your child to not only be trustworthy but to be trusting.

It's not only a beautiful gift to your child to raise them to value this important character trait, but is also a huge gift to yourself, your community, and ultimately the world that we all share.

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