Little Listeners “A Little Spot of Honesty” by Diane Alber

Hello, Little Listeners. This week I've got a book called A Little Spot of Honesty. It is by Diane Alba who also illustrated it. A Little Spot of Honesty, a story about trust and integrity. Hi, I'm a little spot of honesty. Did you know being honest is more than just about telling the truth? It helps you show integrity and earn respect too. It also builds strong relationships and encourages people to be honest with you. That's why I'm here to show you some examples of how to be honest and true to yourself and others. Truth, lie. Is all lying bad? What if the truth can hurt someone's feelings? I think it's very kind of you not to want to hurt someone's feelings, but there are ways to do that without lying. It takes a little more effort, but all you need to do is find the positive in the situation. For example, you may not like someone's outfit or drawing, but you can always find something nice to say that is still true. I drew this for you. I love the green you chose. How do I look? Um, you look so happy. I love seeing you try new outfits. A birthday party or holiday is a great time to think about how to be truthful without hurting someone's feelings. Like if you get a present you already have, instead of blurting out, I already have this, try. I really love to read. This book will come in handy when I come across tough words. She got a dictionary as a gift. She must have that one already. What about when we play pretend? Like when I said my room got covered in glitter scribbles, but that didn't really happen. Is that okay? Absolutely. Using your imagination is so much fun as long as the other person knows you are pretending. Also, it's important to learn the difference between real and make-believe. This helps you learn when you can exaggerate or when you should tell the truth. How about when you were joking? You might say things that aren't true. It's fun to laugh and be silly, but when you joke, remember to let people know you are kidding. Look, I'm an apple statue. Just kidding. But what if telling the truth gets me into trouble? There are times when telling the truth will be hard, but it is the right thing to do. In these situations, it's especially important to tell the truth because it builds trust. Trust is very important when building relationships with friends and family because it lets them know they can depend on you. You can also build trust by doing what you say you are going to do. If you agree to clean the table, make sure you do it without being asked. Another example is when you are told to brush your teeth, you can do it without being asked again. This shows people you are responsible too. There may be times when you don't feel like doing something, like your homework. It's very important that you always do your own work. If someone does your homework for you, or you copy someone else's work, that is dishonest and is called cheating. When you cheat, you don't give yourself a chance to improve and grow. When you are honest and do your own work, you are showing integrity. Oh look, I found a dollar. Finding something valuable can feel very exciting, but imagine if you were the one that lost that item. It would make you so sad. If you ever find something that doesn't belong to you, try to find the owner. You can be honest even if no one else will know. You can practice being honest every day with your words. You can do this by learning the difference between talk and gossip. Talk. Talking is great for sharing ideas, honest thoughts and real experiences with people around you. Gossip. That's how rumours start. Gossiping is telling or repeating stories that may or may not be true. These stories could hurt or embarrass someone. Rumours can be really hurtful because they can evolve quickly and spread fast. Lie. Rumour. Rumour. Rumour. She's crying. I just had to go to the dentist. Why were kids saying I went to the principal's office and got in trouble? Even if it was true and he really was in trouble, it wouldn't have been right to share something that could embarrass another person. Did you know you can squash rumours? The best way to stop a rumour is to not repeat it. Before you repeat anything, ask yourself, would you want other people saying this about you? Squashing the rumour right there and then. Is it ever okay to talk about another person or tell something you heard? Great question. If you talk highly about someone, that is okay. Sharing how someone helped you or is a great friend is a kind thing to say. Here are some other scenarios of when to tell or when not to tell. To tell or not to tell. Truth. When you should tell versus truth. When you should not tell. Tell an adult immediately if you hear someone will hurt themselves or others. Safety always comes first. Don't tell secrets that might embarrass others or reveal something that was meant to be private. The last thing I wanted to talk about is being true to yourself. Not everyone will think you are the best artist or have the best style and that's okay because we need diversity and the world needs you just the way you are. We need diverse ideas, diverse talents and diverse perspectives. Be honest with yourself and you will find your spot in this world. There we have it. A little spot of honesty. A story about trust and integrity. This book came in handy when my little one was asking me, Mama what's telling the truth? What's the truth? I tried to explain it and I thought I did an okay job but this kind of just goes over it a little bit so they can see examples. Another really good element in here is it's not only about being truthful but being true to yourself which is a really good message for everyone. So a little spot of honesty. Thanks little listeners. I'll see you next week.