I yelled at my kid for spilling a full glass of milk last Tuesday

I wrote this long apology letter about how I should be more patient, but I never gave it to him. Instead, I just told him I was sorry right after it happened. The letter felt good to write, but saying it out loud was better. He gave me a hug and we cleaned it up together. Has anyone else found that the spoken apology is way more powerful than the one you write down?

4 comments

4 Comments

daniel1408d ago

My daughter knocked over her cereal bowl last month and I did the same thing. The real apology and helping her clean it up meant way more than any note I could have written.

oliverhernandez8d ago

So what happens when the mess isn't something you can just clean up together?

taylor.reese8d ago

Yeah, writing it down can help you sort your own thoughts out, but saying it out loud makes it real. The hug and cleaning up together is the actual fix, you know? That stuff matters way more than perfect words on paper.

murray.jana2d ago

But what if the mess is something you can't fix together? You still need to show you're trying, not just talking. Maybe that means just sitting with them in the mess for a while.