I’m Guest Blogging this week with on Swerve with the Kendra Golden. Don’t miss it!
The chapter that impacted me the most from David Staal’s book, Words Kids Need to Hear. Here is #4 of 7 things my kids need to hear from me.
#4…
“I’m sorry, please forgive me”
Here are my swift kicks in the behind…
- Authentic authority flows from respect, and sincere apologies foster the connectedness and trust that is necessary for it to lovingly evolve.
- Children tend to treat people the way they are treated.
- The humility we need comes from a simple truth – everyone messes up and has reasons to apologize. Even to kids. When you approach life convinced of your fallibility, a humble attitude will follow. Just don’t get arrogant about it.
- If the thought “I should apologize” comes to mind, then act on it; that’s your heart talking.
- Act sooner than later. An apology sometimes arrives too late to have full impact.
- Speak clearly and concisely. Limit your words. Work hard to resist the urge to offer excuses and preserve the power of the moment.
- Disappointment with mom or dad is tough for a kid to handle.
- Parents need to give children opportunities to develop an ability to freely forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.
I needed a breather after that chapter.
March 18th, 2009 at 7:58 am
Love it Gina! The whole series has been great. Not only do we need to just simply live with integrity but when we are shaping the hearts and minds of young people, our words and actions need to line up. Thanks!
March 18th, 2009 at 11:59 am
One of the easiest ways to teach me kids is to demonstrate humility and ask forgiveness. And trust me, I ask them often…
March 19th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Gina, you model this well…sometimes maybe a little too well
You sure make it easy to trust though!