Apologies are meant to be sincere, believable, and a way to tell someone you’re going to TRY not to do it again. Apologies are also meant to be personal and said from the heart. When you’re teaching your children what/when to apologize, teach them my three parts of an apology.
#1) Address the person you are talking to. Let them know who you’re talking to.
“Hey Dad, I am sorry.” or “Hey Dad, I wanted to apologize.”
#2) Take responsibility and tell them what/why you’re apologizing. And/or what you did wrong.
“Hey Dad, I am sorry for being disrespectful. I shouldn’t talk to you that way.” or “Hey Dad, I want to apologize for what I said earlier. I was being disrespectful when I continued to talk back.”
#3) Tell the person how it’s going to be different next time. How you’re going to fix it so it doesn’t happen again.
“Hey Dad, I’m sorry for being disrespectful, I shouldn’t talk to you that way. I am going to work very hard on holding my tongue.” or “Hey Dad, I want to apologize for what I said earlier. I was being disrespectful when I continued to talk back. Next time, I will keep my mouth shut.”
There could be more then three parts in what I explained. But when you’re dealing with little children and trying to teach them, you have to make it as easy as possible. Different kids will apologize in different ways. They may not quite say everything or they may say too much. But if you can stick to the three main parts The apology will do it’s job on both ends.
Here is the short and sweet 3 parts.
#1) Address them
#2) What you’re sorry for
#3) What you’re going to do to fix it.