I'm Sorry Mom - Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day is one of those celebrations that should remind us all of how much we sometimes take our family (or those that are closest to us) for granted. Why is it that we often treat strangers with more courtesy than we do those whom we cherish the most?

The obvious answer is that we behave this way because we have nothing to fear--regardless of what we say or do, we know deep down that they will always be there for us--and in knowing that, on occasion throughout the year, we allow ourselves to treat them with less respect than they deserve and rarely apologize for it.

The worst part of all is that this behavior sometimes extends to that very day where we collectively honor our mothers, and we let the day go by without a simple visit or phone call. Although wishing your mother a "Happy Mother's Day" is not an apology per se, it likely does make up (in some little way) for the times throughout the year that you were less than thoughtful.

And, in the same way that a gift is not necessary when extending an apology but does add a level of thoughtfulness and an extra touch, the same holds true for Mother's Day. So think about it...

For ideas on how to add your own special touch to your Mother's Day celebration check out our page on creative ways to say sorry.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

Other Perfectly Good Reasons to Apologize

Here's a great list of other important reasons why apologies makes so much sense. They can provide excellent opportunities to satisfy so many other goals we typically set of ourselves, our relationships and our lives.

From Earthling Communication

1. When you admit your mistakes and don’t hide your weaknesses, other people you come across are more able to do the same. They own more courage to begin practicing the power of apologizing. You act as a role model and an encourager.

2. We all are extremely flawed...If we were cars, we’d breakdown every 50 miles and require servicing just as often. But we are not mechanical beings. Thank goodness for that....Apologies are an absolute necessity to bring balance in our lives.

3. When apologizing you begin to fix the problem you created and the healing process begins. By not apologizing you are merely sweeping dirt under a rug. By not apologizing you are covering up your actions hoping to get on with life. It doesn’t work that way. The problem will reappear and bite you when you least expect it and at the worst time. That is one of Murphy’s Law which states that the worst thing will happen the worst way and at the worst possible time.

4. If someone hurts you it is justice to have them apologize to you. For some reason this is not the case when we hurt someone. The hurting person desires your sympathy as much as you desire theirs.

5. Apologizing is giving back what you have taken. You restore the victims feeling of worthiness and self-esteem. When a person is continually damaged from someone else’s actions and lack of apologies, their entire self-concept goes straight in the bin. They feel absolutely useless. Yes, not apologizing is that powerfully destructive. This principle is more so true for children. A child cannot be expected to accept other’s mistakes that damage how they feel of themselves as being a part of life.

6. By having complete responsibility of your actions you possess an enormous amount of self-control. You do not become a victim of others. You become your own person. You begin to create your own destiny. By taking action and guiding your thoughts and feelings, you stop blaming others for what has happened to you and your relationships

7. By sincerely apologizing you show effort in a relationship. You are taking action on the relationship by apologizing. That is an entire different mindset to avoiding mistakes in an attempt to “secretly get by”.

8. We become greater than our desires. When asking for forgiveness you rise above your destructive inner desire to not show remorse and you become a far greater person. You no longer need to cover up your behavior as you have brought it into the light. This takes courage!

9. Your newfound courage will roll into other areas of your life as you begin to face up to other difficult issues you had avoided in the past.

10. Apologizing produces guilt in other people for the better. They see you apologize for your mistake and compare it to their contribution to the mistake or another mistake they’ve made. They may become aware that what they have done is far worse then your mistake which produces guilt and possibly leads them too also apologizing. You can say apologizing has a “chain-reaction” affect.

How to Apologise

How to Apologise from our friends across the pond. Well worth a view!


How To Apologise