This is an essay by a 16 year old boy.<BR>What do you think?<P>Lessons of life<BR> Throughout life people are constantly learning lessons, whether they are important or not. Some of these lessons last a lifetime while others are forgotten the next day. I still remember the lesson that my mother taught me when I was young. Honesty is always the best policy. Some people think that they can stay out of trouble by lying, but if they are caught, the consequences are much worse than telling the truth. Honesty is the best solution to a bad situation. It saves you and others from pain and it also builds and demonstrates your character.<BR> Most people lie when they’ve done something wrong or something they know will hurt another person when the truth comes out. The rule at our house was that people make mistakes and have to deal with the consequences, but if you lie about it the consequences will be much worse. My brother and I often wondered if my mother had a secret spy web or extrasensory perception because she always found out. In general, the truth usually comes out in the end.<BR> Honesty is the best way to avoid painful consequences. If you tell the truth you might get in trouble or you might hurt someone’s feelings. Once the real story is out in the open, though, you can deal with it and leave it in the past. Lies and secrets can create a distance between you and the other person. They will always be there. This is especially important in relationships with friends and family. When you are untruthful with a friend, you take away their dignity and their right to make choices based on reality. Can you remember a time when you found out that someone had been lying to you? It probably seemed like the person didn’t believe that you were mature enough to handle the truth. You might have been so shocked that it felt as though your world caved in. The fact that they lied was probably more painful for you than what they lied about. Since honesty is a kind of respect for others, most people look for that characteristic in the friends they chose.<BR> Honesty develops and demonstrates your character. The more you practice honesty, the easier it becomes. There will be many positive results. Since telling the truth becomes a habit, it also builds your character. A strong, honest person can be trusted. If you are constantly untruthful, you will build a reputation of being a liar. No one will trust you. However, if you are known for being truthful, others will trust you. You will be know for your strong, honest character. The practice of honesty helps you gain the respect of friends, family teachers and employers. Most importantly, however, it gives you self-respect.<BR> I will always be thankful that my mother taught me the value of honesty. If you do something wrong or hurtful, the best way to deal with it is to get it out in the open. Lies and secrets only increase the problem. When you make the truth a regular part of your life, you build your character and reputation as an honest person. Honesty is always the best policy. It is the key to building good relationships with others and showing that you are dependable.<BR>

out of the mouths of babes----<BR>although i am sure a 16 year old would not like me to say that---<BR>he'll make someone a wonderful husband.<BR>

Thank you GodAlone<BR>I think this young man has some good qualities. <BR>I only hope that some day he can find someone worthy of his trust. Unfortunately he has seen first hand the destruction that secrets and lies create.

WS,<BR>What a wonderful essay! He sure knows how to express himself. I AGREE with everything he wrote!!!! What an insite he has....You taught him well, I like how he talks about family and friends. You can tell he is your Son!<BR>Yes, he has learned a lesson the hard way, but he is also learning a lesson now, of how to recover, and how to give someone a chance.<BR>My Son wrote to me in a Mother's Day card last year...."Thanks for being strong". Your Son is learning that from you too.....<BR>AH<BR>ps......I got the CD!!!!!!! <P>---------<BR>Time <p>[This message has been edited by Almost Happy (edited June 04, 2000).]

MudMonster is so wonderful!!!<BR>Mom, you did such a splendid job raising those boys of yours. Thanks for sharing.<BR>aloha, cl

Did I say it was my son? <BR>Seriously AH, cl<BR>There are some concepts in this essay that he developed all on his own. I was impressed by his correlation between honesty and respect/self-respect. <BR>The important part of what I shared here is that this is something he LIVES. Not just a piece of fluff to impress a teacher. He is famous among his peers for his brutal honesty.<BR>Once a teacher accused him of some misdemeanor. He of course denied it. One of his classmates piped in and told the teacher "Listen, if he says he didn't do it, he DIDN'T do it" <BR>In other words, he is by no means perfect but he is the first to admit it.<P><BR>

Just in case anyone is interested. I really thought the part about respect was food for thought.

Hi Wasstubborn<P>I loved reading this. We adults have so much we could learn from him, no? ;-) I have to say, what he has learned already for his age is remarkable...some folks never figure it out and live to be far older than 16. It's ashame he learned it as he did but if bad things have to happen, it's nice that they have silver linings and I would say this essay and the values learned as reflected in the writing are indeed a silver lining.<P>Truth and honesty happens to be just one of the incredibly hard things to learn. Though most of us ideally wish to be these things, many are not. You must be very proud of him. As well you should be!<P>Thanks for sharing.

This young man's mother should be very proud of him! He has more wisdom and maturity than our president!

IsThere Hope?<BR>How are you? And the baby?<BR>My son had this concept figured out by the age of four. His only real punishment was for lying or keeping secrets. Too bad his father was out of town so much. He might have absorbed something.<P>Beyond Depressed<BR>His mother is very proud at times. <BR>I have come to the conclusion that moral development has very little to do with age, position, or educational degrees.<P>Do we as a society teach our children to lie?<P>Think about it. The child that admits to a wrongdoing is usually punished whereas the one who denies it gets off scott free if nothing can be proven. That is why my children were not severely punished when they admitted their mistakes. Even when punishment was necessary they were always praised for telling the truth. Food for thought?

Hey ws, I thought we were on break today? <BR>I am still rather cranky...<BR>But lets go onto some very postive things!<BR>Yes, we do teach out children to lie. But we can also teach them the value of failure, of admitting mistakes, so to a small degree lying, if dealt with properly, is a valuable lesson. <P>