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Show Keep Channels Open By NANCY MOORE THURMOND THUR-MOND When a child admits to wrongdoing, mistakes, or falsehoods, sincerely praise him for his truthfulness. Keep the channels of communication communica-tion open. IK THE untruth is serious, the child should be repri- methods. Do not wait until Daddy comes home, dinnertime, dinner-time, or the end of the week. Justice must be swift to be effectual. Stealing is a much more heinous offense. If a child does pilfer, he should be made to return the goods and apologize immediately to the owner. The chances of a recurrence of stealing will depend on how you handle it the first time. ONE WAY to reinforce honesty hon-esty as the best policy and to discourage a child from taking things that do not belong to him is to teach him from a young age about the property rights of others: he cannot keep what is not his. Encour- age him to gel permission before be-fore he borrows anything, and always have him return the item, even if it is just an inexpensive inex-pensive toy. As Plutarch said, "The very spring and root of honesty and virtue lie in good education." That education begins in the crib. It is a straight and narrow path. mandcd and appropriately punished at the time of the offense. A sound spanking, the soap-and-water treatment, or denial of something he holds dear are time-honored |