Truthful

One very important lesson we try to teach the boys is honesty. To always own up to their messes and be honest. We tell the boys that their word matters so much to us and that we want to know we can trust them when it comes down to them being able to tell us the truth. Even their little friends have learned that lying is not tolerated in our home. We explain that if we are told the truth we won’t get mad but will work with them to fix the situation.

This week little brother proved himself a good student. The boys were outside playing when suddenly the front door flew open and big brother came in. We asked what was the matter but before he could answer us the front door opened again, this time slowly. Little brother walked in with big tears in his eyes and the saddest face. He was having a hard time getting the words out because he was so upset. My first instinct was to think big brother had done something mean to little brother. The boys looked at each other and little brother confessed that he had gotten mad and smacked big brother in the face. He said he was sorry and burst into tears. We hugged him, thanked him for telling the truth and then I sat with him on the couch while he continued to cry. He was more upset by the fact that he had crossed the line than the consequence. I admit I was pretty impressed with him coming into the house to face the music by telling the truth. Big brother would probably have never ratted him out. He takes the blame for most things little brother does. After about ten minutes everything was back to normal and the boys went back out to play. I don’t mind how messy, loud, busy, or rambunctious my boys are, so long as they are truthful.