Honestly? ... Honesty!

Honesty. A simple concept. I may not be perfect at it, but I appreciate honesty when it comes along. Or, if you are dishonest, cover it up a little better...

I was at Laura's today and we were talking about the kids in my neighborhood and how I don't really like the little girls around here playing with Luke because they have not been taught any moral values. Honesty is high on the list of qualities they need to work on...

So when I got home and was taking care of the kids I made my regular rounds of the garden, checked on the progress of my rapidly ripening strawberries (which I am sooo looking forward to) and admiring how dark pink they are getting. Yesterday when I checked AnnaMae accidentally picked a pink one and ate it, green part and all.

You must understand that I am intimately familiar with what I am growing...

So an hour or so later I get a ringing at my doorbell. Two of the neighborhood girls came to my door, each holding a pink strawberry and asked me if I wanted to buy some strawberries. They looked strikingly familiar, those strawberries they were holding. So I queried the two girls "Did those come from MY garden or YOUR garden?"

Innocently they said "Our garden."

To which I answered, "Oh, well, no I'm not interested, I am growing my own strawberries and they should be ripe soon." and I said good bye, then they scampered across my lawn as I closed the door and promptly ate the two berries they were holding. I had my suspicions...

Sure enough, a little while later when I went to check my strawberry plants along my back fence the two strawberries I had been eying earlier that day were the same two strawberries that the girls tried to sell me at my own doorstep!!! (The photo is even the plant they took 'em from, probably the same two big blossoms that you see in the picture)

Can you believe it?? Gaaaahhh!! I know they're only 7 or 8 yrs. old, but 'cmon. show some respect, or at least some intelligence when you do something wrong to cover it up better.

So, to parents everywhere out there, I implore you-
TEACH YOUR KIDS HONESTY.

If you can't teach them that, then at least teach them
COMMON SENSE ABOUT LYING.