Love Means ALWAYS Having to Say You’re Sorry!

When my children had to apologize to one another or to my husband or me, we made sure they knew how to apologize correctly.  A quick sorry wouldn't cut it, because they could say sorry without really meaning it.

We found that if they said what they were sorry for, it helped them identify what they did wrong. Then they had to say two sentences or reasons why they were sorry, and then ask to be forgiven. 

Sounds like a rote formula, but I believe this really helped keep accountability and forgiveness alive.

To give you an idea of how it worked, it would be something like

I'm sorry that I called you 'stupid'.  That wasn't very nice of me.  I never want to hurt your feelings.  Would you please forgive me?

Challenge:  Teach your child to identify what they are sorry about and give a few reasons why they are sorry so they learn how their actions affect others.  Make sure they ask to be forgiven, so the records are all kept clean!