Straight-forward Honesty

My mother-in-law was relating to me today one of her fondest and funniest memories from when my brother-in-law was a child.  She said that someone had called the house looking for her and my brother-in-law had answered.  When he related who was on the phone, she decided that she didn't want to talk to them, so she told my brother-in-law to tell the caller that she was not at home.  My brother-in-law went back, picked up the phone, and said, "My mother said to tell you that she's not at home."  Nobody ever expects the straight-forward honesty of a child.