Honesty and Integrity

Honesty is defined as:

1. moral uprightness: the quality, condition, or characteristic of being fair, truthful, and morally upright
2. truthfulness: truthfulness, candor, or sincerity

Integrity is defined as:

1. possession of firm principles: the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards
2. completeness: the state of being complete or undivided
3. wholeness: the state of being sound or undamaged

I believe if you honor these two words then you'll be good in the world.  I try to tea qch my kids that having integrity may be the most important characteristic they ever have. It's something, that once you lose, you most likely will never have again (at least as far as other people are concerned).

My middle son came home today and said that one of his friends has been paying him to do his homework.  We explained to him that this is cheating and that he was hurting his friend by doing this.  My son didn't seem to think it was cheating at first, I guess he assumed cheating as if his friend was copying off his homework.  We explained that he wasn't helping his friend because when it came to test time his friend wouldn't do well because he didn't do his homework and learn the content.

I'm proud of my son for telling me, he didn't get in trouble. We just told him it stopped today because it could result in him getting failing grades.  He said "Well, *myfriend*, is in a different class." We told him teachers talk and his would find out and punishment would result.

My middle son is honest about 95% of the time. I'm sure he stretches the truth or gives us an "I don't know" once in a while. He will tell the truth even when it could possibly get him in trouble. He learned quickly in life that the trouble is less when you tell the truth then it is when you lie.  At times I've had to leave the room to laugh because I was shocked he would admit to something he did wrong. For example: one time my youngest son was crying after I had sent them all to bed. I went and asked why was he crying. My middle son chirped up "because I hit him." I had to step away so that I could give discpline without cracking up.  You kind of had to been there. The way he said it, so frankly, was funny.

Anyway, I hope he keeps coming to me with stuff like this. I think he was probably bothered by it and needed his dad and I to affirm that it was wrong and he needed to quit.  Parents make good fall guys and I'll gladly take the blame when it comes to someone trying to get my kiddies to do something that affects their integrity and keeps them from being honest.  They are free to say "I can't because my mom won't let me." when it comes to situations like this.