A Better Way to Say "Sorry"

For those of you who are parents...or were ever children...does the following sound familiar?

“Say sorry to your brother.”
“But he’s the one who–”
“Say it!” you insist, an edge of warning in your voice.
He huffs, rolls his eyes to the side and says flatly, “Sorry.”
“Say it like you mean it,” you demand.
“Sorrrrry,” he repeats, dragging out the word slowly with bulging eyes and dripping insincerity.
You sigh in defeat and turn to #2, “Now tell him you forgive him.”
“But he doesn’t even mean it!”
“Just say it!”
“iforgiveyou…” he mutters, looking down to the side dejectedly.
“Now be nice to each other.”
Harumphy silence.

That's how many a long, slow, burning resentment begins...and it's also how JoEllen, over at cuppacocoa.com, begins her extremely helpful piece, A Better Way to Say Sorry.

She shares how she has trained her fourth-grade students to go far above and beyond this kind of forced, pseudo-apology to a process that truly brings about awareness of the wrong done and hope for future change.

CLICK HERE to read the entire piece, or copy-and-paste this URL into your browser: http://www.cuppacocoa.com/a-better-way-to-say-sorry 

Truth is...I'm going to use this in my own I'm-a-grown-up-now apologies...not just as a technique, but in an attempt to really repent and really be forgiven.