BUILDING A FOUNDATION OF TRUST WITH YOUR KIDS

Have you ever volunteered to be a mystery reader in your child's classroom? The excitement of sharing a beloved story is truly special.

- LAURA ADAMS STIANSEN

Recently, I found myself eagerly preparing to read to my daughter's first-grade class. But choosing the perfect book wasn't just about captivating young minds, I wanted to share an important message about honesty, a quality I want to instill in my children. This realization led me to "The Empty Pot" by Demi, a tale that beautifully illustrates the importance of truthfulness.

“The Empty Pot” tells the story of a Chinese emperor who is planning to choose a successor. To help him with the decision, he gives all the children of the kingdom seeds and asks them to show him their best in a year. Ping, a boy with a magic touch when growing flowers, could not grow anything in his pot despite his efforts. He tried everything to make a flower grow. When the emperor asks the children to show him their flowers, Ping presents an empty pot as it is the best he can do. The other children laugh, but little do they know that the emperor had cooked the seeds, so the children should not have been able to grow any flowers with them. Ping is made emperor of the kingdom because he showed courage in being honest.

Like many 7-year-olds, my daughter has occasionally told untruths. Sometimes, it's to avoid getting in trouble, like the classic "No, Mom, I didn't push my brother." But other times, the motivation is unclear, which can be frustrating.