Honesty and FairnessSimply 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, especially 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:
There is a big difference between being dishonest--lying or cheating-- and "making things up," as children often do in fantasy play. If children are taught that not telling
truth is "a bad thing," some young children might assume that it is also a bad thing to pretend to be a princess or an astronaut. Although you should discourage your child from deliberately lying and cheating, you should also let him know that it is fine to role play and pretend.