Forming Our Youth: Sincerity

Forming Our Youth:
a Marriage-Building Parish Building Block

We must form young people in the beliefs and virtues necessary for healthy relationships. > Read more about this building block

As part of the Marriage Building Parish initiative, the Catholic Family Institute, with permission from Four Court Press LTD, will feature excerpts from Mr. Isaac’s book each month in the bulletin and on this blog.



Character Building: A Guide for Parents and Teachers by David Isaacs

In his book, Mr. Isaacs explores twenty-four virtues we should develop to have more “self-mastery and better serve others,” abilities we all hope our children will have.  Recognizing that the example we set leaves a more lasting impression on our children than the words we say, each chapter includes a description of a virtue and a series of questions that help assess how well you are living that virtue and how well you are helping to develop the virtue in children/students.

Another important virtue is Sincerity.

A sincere person makes full disclosure, where appropriate, to the right person and at the right time, of anything they have done, seen, thought or felt with regard to their own or another’s situation. Sincerity involves telling the truth in a simple, orderly way and with a sense of responsibility. Sincerity should always be governed by prudence and charity. We should only give our opinion if we have sufficient information and if it will not damage someone else in a negative way.

To help our children develop sincerity, we should encourage our children to talk to us about themselves and direct them:

• To distinguish between fact and opinion
• To decide what is really important
• To decide who should be told what
• To decide what is an opportune moment
• To understand the reasoning behind the above distinctions

Answer the following questions and discuss your reflections with a spouse/friend.

Am I Sincere?

• Do I prudently and charitably talk about what I have seen and what I have heard?
• Do I share information about feelings, ideas, etc to help others or to look for help towards my own improvement?
• Do I give good example to the children by neither lying, nor covering up the truth, or trying to mislead other people?
• Am I conscious of the times when I cannot and should not reveal some truth?

Do I Teach Others to Be Sincere?

• Do I tend to trust the children and believe what they say without being naïve? (Sincerity is stimulated through signs of trust.)
• Do I help the children distinguish between reality and imagination? (It is good for children to develop an imagination, but it is not good for them to mix up reality and fantasy.)
• Do I keep an eye on the children who talk too much, to help them learn that there is a right time and a right person? (One may have to explain the negative consequences of talking about the wrong things to the wrong people.)
• If a child tends to lie, I try to find out why and then take some action. (For example, some children may feel a need to lie in order not to seem different from their friends, or to be more important, or for fear of some punishment.)

Please share your thoughts and comments.