Parenting for Everyone: Section 1.4. About Truth

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Be yourself, be truthful to yourself. Truth is a key concept in parenting and in the life of the soul.

If man is the measure of all things, than truth is the measure of man. It is the measure of man in relation to the ideal man. Truth is about humanism, compassion, highest respect for human dignity.

Strive for the truth with all your heart, appreciate and respect everyone and yourself as a human being. Strive to ensure that such respect be the norm, that the truth triumphs everywhere, that man never be humiliated, offended, insulted, unappreciated, neglected, abandoned, in the dark, that no one be denied free development of all his powers. To strive for the truth means to assert the dignity of man on earth.

Don't force children to tell you the truth all the time. Let us not be afraid of children's secretiveness. We have no right to the child's soul. Let us be just in the matters of principle, but not necessarily in simple everyday situations. A child may be secretive or deceitful so as not to disappoint the parents, to give a short answer, or because he does not feel like telling the whole story, is afraid to be misunderstood. Let us give the child an opportunity to deceive us merrily.

Telling the truth, being truthful is important. But even more important is truthful conduct.

But it is so difficult to bring up a whole, truthful person.

To grow up as a whole, genuine, sincere person means to grow up without fear of people, their reproaches and ridicule, not to be afraid to look stupid, ridiculous, lagging behind.

For a child to grow up into a naturally kind and hones person, in order that he not try to seem better than he is, we have to reject force and coercion. Through coercion we force the child to do something which is not compatible with his essence.

Only that education is solid that teaches truth, teaches the child to be himself. To be rather than to pretend.