The Little Boy with a Slingshot
While on summer vacation at his grandparents’ farm, Sammy accidentally shot his grandma’s pet duck with his slingshot. In a panic, he hid it behind a pile of wood. Unknown to him, his sister Marie saw the entire thing.
The next day, Grandma called on Marie to wash the dishes. Instead of coming to help, however, Marie simply said, “Sammy said he wanted to help in the kitchen today, Grandma.” Sammy was surprised because he said no such thing. Marie walked up to him and whispered, “Remember the duck?”
It was then he realized that Marie saw what had happened. This went on for several days, until one day, Sammy couldn’t take it anymore! He went to Grandma and told her about everything that's happened. Instead of scolding him, his Grandma gave him a hug and said, “I knew all along. I was just waiting to see how long before you tell me, so Marie will stop blackmailing you.”
The Moral: Be honest about your mistakes. There will be others who will have no qualms about using this information against you. The more mistakes you hide in secret, the heavier the burden on your conscience will be, and the easier other people can take advantage of you.
The next day, Grandma called on Marie to wash the dishes. Instead of coming to help, however, Marie simply said, “Sammy said he wanted to help in the kitchen today, Grandma.” Sammy was surprised because he said no such thing. Marie walked up to him and whispered, “Remember the duck?”
It was then he realized that Marie saw what had happened. This went on for several days, until one day, Sammy couldn’t take it anymore! He went to Grandma and told her about everything that's happened. Instead of scolding him, his Grandma gave him a hug and said, “I knew all along. I was just waiting to see how long before you tell me, so Marie will stop blackmailing you.”
The Moral: Be honest about your mistakes. There will be others who will have no qualms about using this information against you. The more mistakes you hide in secret, the heavier the burden on your conscience will be, and the easier other people can take advantage of you.