Teaching How to Sincerely Apologize

I read this article at Code Name: Mama, and thought it would be very useful to parents in general. We often struggle to teach our young ones how to meaningfully apologize. Here it is:

1. Connect with Your Child: Try Aldort’s S.A.L.V.E. technique: calm yourself down and let go of your first (often angry or embarrassed) reaction. Give your child some attention; listen to him. Validate his feelings and needs, and empower him to solve his own problems.
2. Show Concern: Model empathy, both for your child and for the injured child. When you are comforting the other child, do so in a way that your own little one does not feel guilty or ashamed.
3. Model Apologies for Your Child: Feel free to say “I’m sorry” to the other child. Your little one will pick up on the practice in time. Again, do not apologize in order to shame your own child, just offer your concern sincerely. (“It looks like you are upset because Molly does not want to share her tricycle. I am sorry that you cannot have a turn right now. Would you like to talk about it?” or “Would you like to ride the scooter instead?”)
4. Change Your Thinking: When you see conflict, take a moment to change the way you view things. Instead of getting upset or panicking, trust that you and your child (or the two children) can cooperate to solve the problem. Look at each problem as a chance to meet everyone’s needs, not as a battle that someone will win and someone will lose. The section in Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids called “Make Your Home a No-Fault Zone (Key 7)” is an excellent guide to help you change your thinking.
5. Help Her Find Words: Encourage your child to verbalize how she is feeling. Helping her learn how to express herself when she is upset will give her the tools she needs to avoid these types of conflicts in the future.
6. Label Feelings: Talk about how the other child might feel too – use visual cues – help your child learn to identify feelings in others. (“I wonder how Molly felt when you hit her, do you think she might be feeling sad? She is crying right now.”) Take conflict as an opportunity to help her learn new feelings words. There is a great chapter on identifying and expressing feelings in Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication, as well as a helpful list of feeling words you can stick on your refrigerator.
7. Apologize for Your Mistakes: Parents aren’t saints, we mess up. Daily. We yell when our fuse is too short, we use hurtful words, we talk negatively about our children in front of them. Acknowledge the times you have had poor judgment, the angry, hurtful moments you wish you could take back. Say you’re sorry – and MEAN it.

Source: Code Name: Mama