The conversations from a trip they took as a whole family, with the mother being a court justice, the father, an attorney, and two children who are “groomed” in the legal backgrounds of their, upbringing, translated…
During the New Year’s vacation, my older son’s baseball team is training in the southern parts, and so, we’d, gone to the southern lands, to enjoy some sunshine, and to visit the relatives too; a hard to come by that we were all together as a whole family, dad, as the driver kindly asked which kinds of music he should play on the stereo?
Then, my younger daughter got reminded of something from before: “when I ride on dad’s car, and gone into the underground parking garages, the music continued, I’d asked him, why the songs played in mommy’s would become static, and his music didn’t?”, she’d sighed, “Dad told me, that it was because his car was higher in class, and I actually, believed him.” Young one, you finally know now, that you can’t trust a man for his words, especially the words, of an, attorney.
“Later I’d known, that mommy was listening to the radio, and daddy played the CDs…………”
My daughter’s real smart now, she’d always, shop around for the cheapest deal, read the online comments, then, ask her friends, her classmates, and, she’d, always, groomed through the comments of products, and, thought carefully, before she buys.
“You had best me just as intelligent when you fall in love later on in your life, don’t be like mommy, fooled.”, mommy sighed.
“Let’s play truth or dare!”, my older son suddenly woke up, and hollered out loud.
“What game is that?”, dad started frowning, and asked.
You have a choice to answer (truthfully, what the other players inquire), or, not, and, complete the dare request if you chose not to tell the truth.
“Okay then I’ll go first. Mommy, truth or dare?” my daughter asked.
illustration from UDN.com
I naturally selected “truth”, we must be honest as humans, nothing to hide, face everything, in the words of Confucius he’d told, that honesty is the best way, same for Washington when he chopped his father’s favorite cherry tree down too, he’d, told the truth………………
Hey, why do I hear the snoring all around? What’s most outrageous was, dad’s eyes are, almost, fully, shut. Hey, hey, hey, you, focus on driving, will ya?
“Mommy, please stop lecturing us,” my younger daughter played coy, “let me ask you, do you love older brother more, or me?”
Easy, I love you both exactly the same!
“Ahhhh, this isn’t even a good question, my turn. Mommy, why did you marry daddy?”, my son started his attacks now.
Easy! He’s the most handsome, most talented, older schoolmate I ever had back in law school (I’m so proud that I could actually, tell this lie as a truth!)
Dad’s turn, “Truth or dare?”, my younger asked.
testifying on the stand…
Dad’s hand on the steering wheel went unsteady for just a second, cleared his throat, “Can I choose, dare?”
“hahaha, sure! Then, you will have to scream at the doors of the justice artifacts museum, ‘I love you’ to mommy then!”, my children started, giggling.
Is it truly that hard, to tell the truth? What’s the price for honesty anyway?
“This is an odd game, how do we tell if the person is actually, telling the truth? And, you’d not told of what sort of dares to expect either, not enough information, how do we chose? The process is unjust, unfair to begin with……………” dad’s started on his lecturing now.
And now, my children are totally, off into, dreamland.
What, is it so hard, to hear the truth out of you?
“The witnesses on the stands must tell the truth, there’s no choice.” Dad stated, “in the criminal cases, you get hold in contempt if you commit perjury, and so, there’s this strict set of regulations (Penal Code 175, Civil Code 298). Dad started, reciting the laws now, “If the witness is already done being cross-examined, and, on the stand, the witness knowingly lied, s/he will get punished for perjury (Penal Code 168)!”
“But sometimes, we will, forget!”, my younger daughter worked hard, to open up her eyes, to object to her father’s statements, “I didn’t mean to omit anything!” yeah, yeah, forgetting your assignments at home, losing your MRT ticket, student I.D., whatever, etc., etc., etc., always using, “I didn’t mean it” as an excuse.
“Perjury is to punish those who lied on the stands intentionally, after you get put on the stands, you must, answer, truthfully, to your, best knowledge, you can’t say things at random.” Dad continued in explaining, “like how scatterbrained you are regularly.”
My daughter nodded, “Yep! I’m not a witness whose words will turn over a verdict.” But, what is, that?
“like how in the movies, the witnesses get on the stands, with one hand on the Bible, repeating to the judge, ‘I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help me god’.”, my older son added.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm! Not groomed enough in the legalities, but, he’d had, his shares of movies. The western countries, due to their religions, had this means, but, we don’t use the Buddhist Mantras to get the witnesses to swear on, but, there were those who swore at the temples, chopping off the roosters’ heads.
And, this is how these parents who worked in the legal realms, turn this conversation on a trip they took together, into something, educational. This also showed, how important it is, to hold conversations with your children regularly, because, both of you will learn something new in your interactions with each other.