Johnny, don’t lie

John had a very bad habit of lying. He used to lie about having a stomachache if he did not want to go to school. In school, he used to lie to his teacher that he had gone out with his parents so he had not attended school. Once, he even made a false leave letter and signed it himself when the teacher asked him to get a letter from his parents.

John’s habit of lying was getting out of hand as he was getting successful in deceiving the people around him. His parents had no idea about this habit of John, until one day when John’s mother decided to meet his teacher. While conversing, the teacher said “John is missing a lot of classes.” To this his mother replied, “Yes ma’am, he is having a lot of stomach problems these days, maybe I should take him to the doctor.” The teacher replied surprisingly “Stomach problems? John never told me about that.” John’s mother said, “That is the reason why he is missing school ma’a.m” The teacher was shocked to hear this and said, “But John always told me that he went out with you people whenever he missed classes. He even gave me a letter signed by his father.” John’s mother was completely stunned to hear this. After the conversation both John’s mother and his teacher got the idea that he was lying to both of them.

John’s mother was very saddened to know about this habit of her child. But she thought that instead of talking directly to John, she will give him a lesson to remember. So one day, when John did not want to go to school, he again made the excuse of a stomach ache. Knowing that he is lying, his mother said, “Oh dear, you are having frequent stomach issues, let us go and meet the doctor to check if everything is alright.” Hearing this, John was stupefied and scared at the same time. He started crying loudly that he does not want to go to the doctor. His mother continued insisting to go to the doctor until John finally admitted that he was lying. He said that he lied about his stomachache as he did not want to go to school. His mom told him that she had gotten to know about his lying habit when she had met his teacher. John was embarrassed to know that he was exposed and started crying in guilt. Seeing that John has understood his mistake, his mother consoled him and asked him to learn from his mistake and never lie again. John apologised to his mother and promised her to never lie again.

What did we learn

Lying is never an option or solution to any problem. We should try and understand what is troubling us, and talk it out with people who care for us, they will be able to help us find a solution.