Did You Swallow That Bubble Gum?
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The other day I had a fun conversation with my daughter that was a perfect example of how important trust is.
She brought some gum to me and wanted me to open it. She’s just about the age that she’d get the hang of it, but it’s hit or miss sometimes. I decided to give her a chance on this one.
I opened it and handed it to her and specifically said
“ok babe, don’t swallow this, JUST chew it.”
Ok dad, just chew. Chew chew chew. No swallow.
“Nice, you got it!”
5 min later…
Dad, can I have another piece?
“What happened to the other piece?”
(Blank stare)
“Babe, did you swallow it?”
No
“Are you sure?”
No
“Really, did you swallow it”
No
“Honey, I won’t be mad. I just want to know what happened…”
I swallowed it…
“Thank you for telling me. I’m not mad, just make sure you CHEW the gum. Don’t swallow it next time.”
This conversation wasn’t a big one by any means, but what it illustrates is when I finally confirmed that I wouldn’t be mad, she felt comfortable to be honest. She trusted what I said and told the truth.
It’s not always going to be this cut and dry, but trust breeds honesty. It practice in the small situations so that when the big ones happen, it’s the same honest result.