At various times in our lives, we will inevitably say and do things that disappoint or hurt someone else. There are naturally times when we want to ask forgiveness of others and apologize to them for our unkind or thoughtless words or actions. In the best of circumstances, apologies have the effect of repairing and maintaining our relationships.

Apologizing to someone communicates the value we have for that person and the value we place on our relationship with them. Not surprisingly, when we communicate our sincere remorse for our words or actions, the person we have offended is less likely to maintain their anger towards us and is more likely to forgive our actions. Your children can benefit from your guidance and encouragement as they begin to learn how to apologize for things they regret doing.

It’s worth understanding why people may sometimes be reluctant to provide an apology, even if their behavior merits one. Here are a few of the most likely reasons for their hesitancy.

Perhaps the biggest reason we don't apologize has to do with the lack of connection we may feel to the person we may have hurt or disappointed. When we feel less invested in certain people, we are more likely to mistreat them and less likely to feel badly about hurting them. The impact, even to ourselves, is more short-lived. We may not expect to see them again, or at least rarely, so there is........

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