Mother at an amusement park with her son told him to lie so he could get in free to an event. He did and they got in. Later, at another event, all who entered had to be older. So she told him to lie again. At a third event, he needed to be younger again to get in. So as the two came to the entry, confused, the child asked his mother, “How old am I now?” Children must be taught to be honest. To encourage truth-telling professionals say rather than calling them a liar, give them a chance to explain what they know about a given situation. Express appreciation when they tell the truth. Children learn honesty by watching what adults do. Jesus said we should be very careful not to cause others to do wrong. We read this in Luke chapter 17, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.” Jesus is especially hurt if we harm children by abusing them, neglecting them, or teaching them to lie.
