"You better be telling the truth"

One of the most common threats made to a child when we are trying to resolve a conflict. We tell our children time and time again about the importance of telling the truth at all times. We don't teach them that there are circumstances when lying is ok.

Its all said and done till our children learn from us and decide that honesty is circumstantial and use it. They hear us saying we should be honest all the time but see us being dishonest in little and big ways - calling in sick when we don't want to go to work, watching pirated videos on the internet, using pens and pencils from work to send to school with the kids, sneaking in to get the free snack/drinks from work on our way to a hike. Of course, we justify our actions - I never fall sick so my sick days go unused. The movie folks cheat on their taxes or for the more savvy, they should make the formats so they are not available so easily for uploads. I work here and don't get paid enough and these are perks and is expected. Well, I work here, those snacks are for me.

Really! I would say another way to look into it would be that one should be glad one doesn't fall sick and be grateful for the health that allows one to work everyday instead of worrying about one's health. If we consciously didn't watch pirated movies, we would be freeing up the smart folks to find solutions to more important issue related to health and improving the economy or cool new things that we haven't heard of yet.

I can't say that I never lie or am the most honest person around but I can say that I try very very hard. I have found that my children are more willing to listen to me when I do as I say, It is true actions speak louder than words. The only person we can control is really only ourselves.

The Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca has said - 
Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.