Lately, I've been playing referee around my house.

My kids often end up wanting the same toy (even if there’s two of the same thing) or my son gets too rough or one commits some kind of injustice to the other.

After getting in the middle of a fight, I end up demanding an apology from the instigator: “Now, say sorry.” Most of the time, they’ll utter the word to each other, but I’m not really sure they mean it. And by forcing my kids to say “sorry” in the first place, I don’t know if I’m even conveying the meaning of the word.

Remorse and forgiveness can be hard concepts to teach. Even grown-ups struggle with apologies.

What do you do? How do you convey to your child that his/her actions can have negative consequences? With little ones, especially, how do you teach the meaning behind the words, “I’m sorry”?

---

---