"I'm sorry, Mommy."

Apologizing may be one of the hardest things we want and need to teach our children. I believe all parents want their children to learn how to apologize for the wrong things they did – intentional or not. We have been instilling this value to Kiel since he was very little.  At times he will, though most of the time not voluntarily. I still have to tell him to do it and that is that only time he will say sorry. I sometimes feel frustrated, because I feel that I failed, as a mother, to teach him proper manners (yeah, I’m that hard on myself).

Yesterday, Kiel was very ‘makulit’ (hyperactive) during mass and he kept shouting even after we told him not to. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t expect Kiel or toddlers in general to behave in churches. They really don’t. But yesterday was extraordinary as he just kept on ignoring us and continued to yell and do some crazy things that I will not bore you with.

Fast forward. On our way home, I thought that his ‘act’ deserves a timeout and a trip to his little corner. But when we got inside the house, he said he was hungry so I gave him a snack first. I was still disappointed at him but we had to forego his corner time because we had to leave the house. We were in a hurry because the car that we booked via ÜBER was already waiting downstairs.

Inside the car, there were still occasional shouting and attention-seeking tactics. I was trying very hard to keep my cool and that was why I was giving him the ‘cold treatment’. Some few minutes passed and he kept quiet. Then suddenly he turned to me and said: “I’m sorry, Mommy.” That was music to my ears! I calmly asked him what he was sorry for. I wanted to know if he really meant it or he just felt the need to say sorry because I was already upset. He said that he was sorry for not listening to me and for lifting my shirt up during mass (yes, you read it right!). He knew what he was sorry for and he felt the need to apologize. All on his own! I was so happy! I gave him a big hug and told him not to do it again.

On that moment, I was very proud. Not for myself, but for the little man Kiel has become.  In the future, he may or may not constantly apologize if he does something wrong. Who knows, right? But frankly I’m okay with that. I know that I just need to be there for him to guide him so that, in time, he will completely understand the sense of it. I’m very positive that we’re off to a great start!