Teaching Honesty and Responsibility to Your Children The best
way to instill honesty and responsibility in children is to
exhibit these qualities in your own actions.  Teaching honesty
and responsibility takes a considerable amount of time and
patience, and it isn't anything like teaching your kids how to
tie their shoes, where they understand the basic concept after a
few lessons. You'll have to keep hammering away at these lessons
for a long time.  Can we be honest? You teach honesty by
encouraging your kids to tell the truth and to let you know
what's on their minds. Having your children tell you what's on
their minds shouldn't be a frightening thought.  When you've
taken a toy away from your child because she was throwing it,
you know she's going to be mad. Ask her how she feels. Tell her
that it's okay to tell you whether she's mad, and let her know
that you won't be angry. Then ask her why she's mad. This
strategy teaches your kids that they can talk to you honestly
without you getting upset or yelling.