Teaching Children About Apologizing
We’ve all seen a child make an insincere apology. Far from making a child understand what he or she did wrong and what the consequences of this action are, simply forcing children to say “sorry” makes them believe that they’re off the hook, and does little or nothing to correct the behavior.
Parents and child care experts agree that instead of forcing children to apologize mechanically, they should be made to think about what they did wrong, why it was wrong, and what the consequences for others were. After they’ve had time to think, ask them what they could do to help fix the situation.
Talking thoroughly about feelings will also help to rectify behavior. If you can make your child understand that what he or she did made another child feel bad, then that will have a much more heartfelt, lasting impact that simply apologizing. Be sure to let your children know that you love them at the same time that you admonish them.
In order to help establish a manner of behaving that applies everywhere, not just in the home, make sure that your day care provider is on the same page with you and that there is a consistent and standard set of consequences.