3.12 – Honesty scenarios
Children often know when something’s not right with you. If you are on your own with your children then they are more likely to know. If we lie to our children they will think it’s OK to lie. If your children lie to you, you will be cross – we must be careful not to have double standards. Also we don’t need to tell children more than they need to know at any given stage, for example a four year old that asks where babies come from doesn’t need to know as much as a 14 year old.
Honesty with children can take many forms. What would you do and say in the following scenarios?
| Scenario | |
|---|---|
| 1. Ill toddler: You need to leave your six year old with your friend/mum/childminder to take your two year old to the doctor. | |
| 2. Crying in front of the children: Your 12 year old daughter has caught you having a little cry – you are having one of those days, the gas bill is huge, you didn’t sleep very well and you wish you could afford a holiday. | |
| 3. Sleepover spending: You’ve organised a sleepover for your daughter's 16th birthday. You have been really busy and have taken on more than you can deal with. You are a little bit pushed for time and you don’t have as much money as you thought you might have had. |
Now lets see how others responded…
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