One of the things that a child must learn is learning how to say “I'm sorry.” Apologizing is something that should be done when one does wrong, and this behavior is something that parents should do to their kids when needed.
Kate Roberts, PhD, explains via Psychology Today that many parents don't realize the importance of apologizing to their kids. Saying sorry helps strengthens the parent-child relationship that they have; gives the child a sense of safety and well-being; and teaches kids some valuable lessons, such as:
Apologizing tells them no one is perfect
Kids should know that. Attachment Parenting says that when kids realize that their parents make mistakes like they do, they'll understand that they aren't always to blame when things go wrong.
Your kids must learn that no one is perfect, including you. It's vital that they learn this truth as it's important in self-acceptance.
Apologizing is good modeling behavior
Parenting says that admitting a wrong behavior is hard, but it's the right thing to do. Apologizing to your kids at the right time (after doing something wrong i.e. hurting them or neglecting them) teaches them that it's a behavior that they should emulate. Contrary to the popular thought that saying sorry is a sign of weakness, apologizing to your kids tells them that it's a sign of strength.
Apologizing helps kids learn
Making mistakes and acknowledging it opens the door for learning. Such mistakes precede learning opportunities by which you can say to your child, “I made a mistake. Let's learn from that.”
Not only that, kids can also learn to be responsible for their own mistakes when mom or dad takes responsibility for theirs.
Apologizing respects kids
Parents who acknowledge their mistakes to their children teach their kids that they are valued. Saying sorry to your kids teaches both you and your kids that you both deserve to get an apology when somebody does you wrong.
Not only does this help you respect your kids' rights, it also helps them respect themselves too.
Apologizing humbles
Not only does apologizing help your kids' self-respect, it also reminds you to be human. Everyone makes mistakes, and that includes even the most successful or richest of all. You are pretty much like your child in that you can make mistakes too.
Apologizing teaches us that we all have to learn something, and we aren't exempted from any tendency to do wrong or fail. It also gives us the thought of doing better with each mistake.
Do you find it hard to apologize to your kids when you should? Share your opinions in the comments section below.
