Sincerity & Truthfulnesss

“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth”

1 John 3:18

Teaching Tips:

• Encourage your child to always do things out of the goodness of their heart, this makes Jesus happy! Explain that sometimes this is hard, but they should always be truthful even when it’s hard
• Explain to your child that pretending to feel something you don’t feel, or to pretend to be something you’re not, is not being sincere or truthful
• You can’t apologize for something and then plan to get future revenge
• You can’t compliment someone and then speak ill of them later
• You should never say things that you do not truly mean with all your heart
• Reward your child when they tell the truth, especially when it’s hard and obvious they chose the truth over easily telling a lie
• Be careful not to invite your child to lie by asking them a question that could cause them to answer falsely. For example, instead of “did you eat that cookie” say “I see you ate the cookie, let me explain to you why I wanted you to wait after dinner.” Lead with the obvious, “I can tell you spilled the juice, I will help you to clean it up”
• Encourage your child to tell the truth because honesty makes you happy too. Explain that while the truth might be unpleasant you will appreciate their honesty. Your child is motivated to make you happy, impress on them how happy sincerity in people makes you.
• Explain that honesty also means being kind. If they receive a gift that they do not really like, they can be kind by saying how much they appreciate the thoughtfulness behind the gift.
• Have your child write their own Honesty Pledge and display it where they can see it every day.