No BUTs!

Have you ever had someone apologize to you, but you knew from their choice of words that they really weren't sorry for their actions?  One friend put it to me this way.  "An example would be if someone steps on your foot.  Then they apologize for the pain your foot experienced or that your foot was in their way, but not for stepping on your foot."




When you apologize to your children, do you follow it up with "I'm sorry, BUT the reason I did that was because...."  Whenever you make a statement, followed with a BUT in the middle of it, the statement is completely negated.  The child does not hear your apology; the child hears your justification for your wrong response or action.


Listen to yourself apologize to others - especially your spouse and children.  Do you apologize without an explanation?  You will know by how your children apologize to you.