Dear Kid Saturday – Hard to Say You’re Sorry

Dear TJ,

Sometimes I don’t know what to do with you. You really hurt me the other night. We were playing, and I was sitting on the end of your sleeping bag. You wanted me to move, and you were growling about it and shouting at me. I just wanted you to ask me nicely and say please.

Instead, you decided to push me off. When you did this, you put all your weight against your arm, which pressed right into my throat. It really felt like you were going to crush my windpipe, and I couldn’t breathe. Daddy didn’t realize what you were doing to me, so he didn’t push you off of me – I had to wrest myself away.

My voice was scratchy for at least 30 minutes after that, and I was having a hard time swallowing. Daddy tried to get you to apologize to me, but instead you started kicking and screaming, and you kicked him right between the legs… hurting him, too.

It was a real struggle with you for at least 20 minutes to get you to apologize for hurting us. When you hurt someone, you need to say you’re sorry. I know you hate it when we get hurt, and I think you feel ashamed, and that’s why you don’t want to apologize. But you need to do it. You wouldn’t relent until I’d tucked you into bed 20 minutes early with no bath and no books. Then you apologized and told me that you love me.

Of course I told you that I love you, too. I love you very much, but you have to pay attention so that you don’t hurt people. And when you do hurt people, which can happen by accident, especially when you’re a little guy, you need to apologize and tell the person you hurt that you’re sorry.

Love,
Mommy

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Tagged as: apologies, Dear Kid Saturday, hurting people, I'm sorry, preschoolers, temper