The Importance of Apology

There is no such thing as a perfect parent. We will all make plenty of mistakes during our journey as parents. The good news is that with a sincere apology, we can make repair and not jeopardize our relationships with our children.

Apologizing to kids can feel really hard. It requires us to acknowledge that we made a mistake, find calm and regulation for ourselves, own up to our own feelings and release our children of blame for our feelings and actions.

A few things to remember:

• Apologies include owning your feelings and actions. Your children didn't make you feel this way or act this way, you are fully in charge of your own feelings and actions.

• A child is always deserving of an apology if you did something that caused them harm, regardless of their age or behavior.

• An apology is not the time to teach or lecture your child about how they were doing something wrong.

• Find ways to make amends and restore connection after an apology. Your child may not be ready to forgive you yet, and that is okay.

Giving sincere apologies will not only help you to maintain a strong relationship with your child through your mistakes but will model to your child how to give an apology.

To read more about apologies with children including examples for every age, head here!