Word of the Month: HONESTY
Have you ever checked your child’s hands to see if they smell like fresh soap after they were
told to wash up?! Or felt the bristles of the toothbrush so you could confirm that teeth had
actually been brushed in the bedtime routine? Catching a child in a hand-washing or tooth-
brushing “fib” is often part of natural child development, and in fact a child’s ability to lie shows
a specific brain development milestone. However, most would agree that HONESTY is a
character trait that they not only hope to model, but also cultivate in their children.
HONESTY is the Word of the Month at CMA! Webster defines it this way: HONESTY (noun):
Adherence to the facts; Sincerity. Fairness and Straightforwardness of conduct.
In February, our instructors will be sharing expectations of HONESTY and how we can
practice HONESTY in our daily lives. Encourage your martial artist this month with some of
these ideas:
Tell your child you’re going to check in with them after class, and you can’t wait to hear
that they completed every single jumping jack that was assigned – no cutting corners!
Commend their HONESTY and adherence to the instructions.
Practice a situation when it’s tough to be honest: Accidentally broke your brother’s
toy? Play out this situation and give your child the words they could use to honestly tell
the story and ask for forgivenss. Explain how it is important to stick to the facts!
Outline your family’s expectations for HONESTY. If you’ll choose not to give a
punishment or consequence as a result of their honesty, explain that to your child.
Give examples of how YOU are striving to be honest with them so you can be a good
model. (“Yes, I did throw away your sucker because I thought you were done with it.
I’m sorry.” )
Steer away from fibs in your own life so they don’t grow into greater dishonesty! (“If you
don’t eat your vegetables you won’t grow!” “Sorry, there are no taekwondo classes on
Thursdays, you have to go on Wednesday.”) Set a solid example of HONESTY!
We look forward to growing together in the character trait of HONESTY!