Storybook of "Secret to Perfection of The But's Family"
A sequel to "The Secret of The But's Dinner", the "Secret to Perfection of The But's Family" is particularly matched to children between the ages of six to eight. Parents are cordially invited to accompany your child to read "Secret to Perfection of The But's Family", exploring and reflecting on our responsibilities as a family member and the meaning of family to us.
Synopsis
Daddy is bone-tired getting home from work, but he still makes every effort to help Heidi do her revision. When the marked test papers are given back, Heidi carelessly takes home that of her classroom neighbour. The whole family is ecstatic about the perfect-scoring test paper, but then Heidi shamefully tells Daddy the truth and everyone realises that she has actually failed the test…. What do you think Daddy would do in the end?
To help children develop the virtue of honesty, the following five suggestions are for you to consider:
Be gentle and respectful: Very often, children having told lies would be scathingly attacked by most parents with yelling like "how dare you lie…" and become too petrified to respond or admit for fear of getting punished. Alternatively, therefore, it makes more sense for parents to uncover the truth from children with guidance in a gentle and respectful tone and then direct them to see the importance of honesty.
Admit and correct mistakes: There is always a "why" behind every child's lie, no matter whether it is a fear of punishment, an intention to protect a classmate's privacy, a failure to meet parents' hopes on the grades, or reluctance to reveal a shameful incident to others. As long as we spend time talking with children nicely and guiding them to tell the reasons why they lied, we will be able to make them see the wrong bits and the need to admit and correct the mistakes as a responsible child is supposed to do.
Show forgiveness: Chances are that parents may find out their children having said or done something they shouldn't have. Even so, you should emphasise to your child how you feel sorry but still love and accept him and you will help him face the consequences of breaking promises or lying.
Act on your words: Parents should take their words seriously. If you have said to your child what mistakes will call for punishment, you have to act on your words. By all means, avoid discounting your words making them as inconsistent as the moon because your child will therefore feel uncertain about your rules.
Be a role model: Children are clear-eyed about how their parents may treasure honesty in words but set a bad example in deeds. For example, a mother may ask her child to lie to a caller that "Mum is not home" while she is actually there. Minor things in our daily life may seem trivial but children see them, take to heart and possibly learn to do the same. Honesty is not for playing lip service but acting out in person for real so that children see that their parents are the role model of honesty.