The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-05-26
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 Your Children
By Olive Roberts Barton

Truth is almost the hardest thing to teach, yet 1t has more bearing on character than anything else in training.
 Its most important effect on character is the development of courage and nobility. And while this is quite true, and no great or good person can be without 1t, there is another angle that to me is more emphatic still, This is the effect of the lie on self.esteem and the gen. eral facilitating influence of burie0 secrets.
 Naturally the parent is entire. ly right In insisting upon truth aa such in the hope of refining and strengthening character. The child who can face 1t, own up to his mis- deeds and take what's coming may be said to have reached the peak ot his training. But If parents would weigh the consequences to his eEno- tional life, aside from character, ] believe they would be gratified in discovering that he has not only established fineness of character, but habit that will lay up for him mental contentment throughout the future.
 Penalty Guides Early Decision Ted, we'll say, has to make . decision-whether or not to con- fess that he left the scissors on the chair for the baby to reach and fall on. If the baby has not been hurt, 1t will be easy for Ted to own up to his carelessness. It he has been hurt, Ted may not tell. This is where the harm is done, because the lie Is usually tied up with something serious enough to impress memory. The covered act has Q habit, too, Of growing with time and deepening the sense of guilt.
 Ted may be fearful of punish ment or merely sensitive to criticism. Perhaps he himself want to forget, and thinks that by evasion of the spoken word he can lull his poor conscience to sleep.
 Growing children have different reasons for hiding their mistakes, depending on temperament and cir- cuiastances. Whatever the reason, long after the trouble is over as Tar as others are concerned, he VIII feei guilty. Time wears of the edges of his consciousness and he may forget, but the effect is there just the same. In his own estimate oi himself he is down Q few notches.
 Children are easily truthful about the small things and more reluct- antly so about the greater, like aii the rest of us. All the more pity for them. If 1t could be reversed then the consequences of untruth would not be as great.
 Honesty Is Matter of Habit
 Not that small fibs are not seri- ous. They are important in tnM way: The habit of truth must be set by them. If Ted is accustomed to own up that he has upset the birdcage or lost his book, the greater 1 will be his chances of confessing those bigger things which may worry him later.
 The cumulative effect of lies Of any sort, however, becomes Q great, ghostly shadow that covers the child's fair in his own worth. Often 1t happens that the adolescent who appears to be killed with inferiority | Is merely unconsciously breeding upon guilt in an exaggerated de- gree.
 I'm just no good" he says. Ills emotional stability is undermined by a few things that heartily and frankly talked out would cure him.
 The wise parent will try for truth at all times. The basis of confession Is confidence of child in parent. Whatever happens, whether punish- ment, lecture or pardon, nothing should remain Co inhlbit him from | further truth~tolllng, such as nag-