Simply put, honesty means being truthful with ourselves and with others. It means caring enough about others not to mislead them for personal benefit. It means facing up to our mistakes, even when we have to admit them to others or when they may get us into trouble. Fairness means acting in a just way and making decisions, specially important ones, on basis of evidence rather than prejudice. It means "playing by rules" and standing up for right of everyone to be treated equally and honestly.

To understand importance of being honest and fair, children need to learn that living together in a family, community or even a nation depends on mutual trust. Without honesty and fairness, trusting each other becomes very difficult, and families--and societies--fall apart.

Words of caution:

Children develop strong character by learning to think about and make sound judgments about what is right or wrong, good or bad. These are not always easy distinctions for adults to make, much less children.

For example, it can be difficult for a child to recognize difference between acting bravely and acting recklessly. As parents, we can help by showing, through what we do as well as what we say, that it is importantin such situations to think carefully and honestly about what should bedone, carefully weighing how others will be affected by what we do.

Sometimes we get into trouble because we "just didn't think." We let our emotions lead us to actions that we regret later. Making good judgments requires skills in monitoring impulses, using reasoning to sort throughfeelings and facts, and thinking about consequences of our actions.