“May the words of my mouth and the meditations in my heart be pleasing in your sight O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” Psalms 19:14

There are three important words that every parent needs to teach their child and they are; “please, thank you and I’m sorry.” From the moment that a child is born, parents need to start incorporating words of support and encouragement into their vocabulary. Children need to see and hear their parents modeling the words, please, thank you and I’m sorry into their daily lives. For instance, when your baby is pointing at something and unable to verbalize what they want, a parent might say “please” and then retrieve whatever the child is desiring. When you give your child the desired object, you should say, “thank you.” As a child becomes older, a parent might say to their child, “would you please help me set the table for dinner?”

Using the word, please instead of barking out orders to your child will definitely create a more calming and supportive family environment. Once your child has completed the desired task at hand, it would great for you to respond with a heartfelt “thank you.” Letting your child know that you are grateful for their help is so important to the overall family dynamics, because at some point in time we will all need help from one another.

Teaching your child to say, “I’m sorry” may be a little more complicated, you see for the most part we never want to admit that we need to be sorry for anything. Even as adults, it become hard to admit that we need to ask for forgiveness. However, the most impactful parenting moment will come when you can admit that you need to tell your child that you are sorry. No matter the situation, perhaps you lost your temper, yelled out at your child or perhaps you became so angry at your child and before you knew the whole story, you reacted in a way that was not appropriate.

You need to say you are sorry to your child, and as humbling as that may be, it will leave a lasting impression on your child that says even parents make mistakes and need to be forgiven. And hopefully in turn, your child will understand that saying “I’m sorry” doesn’t show a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength as they are able to admit that they were wrong and need to be forgiven. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“Please, thank you and I’m sorry”, just a few simple words that can make a lasting impact and bring healing and restoration to any situation.