Submitted by Melissa, Marlborough

My child says I'm sorry, but it doesn't seem to be enough. How can I help him to learn from his mistakes?

Answered by Eliza Clark , Savvy Source Parenting & Preschool Editor

Apologies, even the most heartfelt, are not much use when the behavior gets repeated over and over again.  After emotions have cooled and sorry has been said, it is worth helping your child think about how to avoid the same mistake in the future.  Ask him, "What will you do next time when you really really want to call Mama a bad name because she denied you an Oreo five minutes before dinner time?" Wouldn’t we love for the answer to be "I'll say, you’re right, Mama"?  More likely it will be something like "I'll say, Mama, I'm really angry with you because I want that Oreo" -- and that’s all right too.