Teach Your Child to Apologize
* This article was originally published onwww.sillyfunmomma.com*
Teaching your child to apologize, and mean it.
1. First, quickly take the child to the side and explain what just happened. Help your child understand that what they have done is not appropriate. DO NOT raise your voice. Talk calmly, many children will shut down once you raise your voice.
2. Ask them how they would feel if they were the other person. If your child is having difficulty with matching feelings to the situation, you could discuss a few feelings that would be appropriate reactions in that situation.
3. Talk about what could be differently next time your child finds themselves in a similar situation. How could they react better?
4. Now that they have an understanding of the cause and effect relationship of the situation, and have a better handle on what the appropriate actions would be, send them to talk to the other person involved.
5. They will be able to truly understand why what they did was wrong, allowing them to make a true apology. Telling the other person that they are sorry for how they made them feel, that next time they will do something different, and that now they understand how they hurt them.
Teaching your child to apologize also helps them learn other important life lessons.
It helps them learn to empathize with others. They learn how to attempt to repair strained relationships and friendships. Your child will obtain a better understanding of feelings and how each person experiences them differently. Also, there is no right or wrong way to feel in a situation, so they need to consider the feelings of others before they say or do potentially hurtful things. This teaches your child to be a considerate adult, able to maintain healthy relationships with friends, family, and coworkers.
What do you do to teach your child to apologize? Do you use a method like the one I do? I'd love to hear your opinions! You can comment below or contact me at nikki@sillyfunmomma.com. Also, be sure to follow me on social media and subscribe to my newsletter to get weekly updates of what is going on at Silly Fun Momma!
