My kid wrote me an apology note and I'm not crying you're crying

Dec 121 min read

This morning my 8yo left a note on my bedside table that said "I'm sorry I was mean to you yesterday. I love you dad." He drew like little hearts and everything. We had a minor conflict yesterday (he talked back about cleaning his room, whatever) but I thought it was done. Apparently he was still thinking about it and wanted to make it right. That's... that's my kid being better than me. Gonna frame this or something lol.

10 comments250 views

Comments(10)

WWill T.RegularDec 12

That's huge. An 8yo processing conflict well enough to apologize unprompted and actually meaning it? You're doing something really right with emotional literacy.

PPete L.RegularDec 12

Stop, this is the stuff that matters. Frame that note. Seriously. On hard days when you feel like you're messing up, look at it. Your kid loves you enough to apologize and make hearts. You're doing great.

WWyatt C.RegularDec 12

This is the win. Not that he was perfect or that there was no conflict, but that he could feel bad about it, think about it, and come back to you. That's emotional maturity right there.

RRob K.RegularDec 14

I'm tearing up reading this at my desk lol. Did you respond right away or just sit with it for a bit? I always wonder what the right move is in those moments.

KKarl J.RegularDec 12

The hearts detail got me. Frame that note. Seriously. Moments like that are what you come back to when the hard stuff hits.

TTony V.RegularDec 13

Dude. That's not a small thing. A lot of kids never learn to apologize or worse they learn to do it without meaning it. The hearts though—that kid genuinely cares about his relationship with you.

GGabe R.RegularDec 14

What was the conflict about? I'm curious because it sounds like you both handled it maturely. Most 8yos don't self-reflect like that unless someone's modeling it well. That's you doing the work.

DDale A.RegularDec 14

This is it. This is the whole thing right here. All the parenting books and advice don't matter as much as a kid who cares enough about the relationship to say sorry. You raised someone who takes responsibility. That's huge.

PPaul M.RegularDec 14

lol the hearts killed me. My 8yo did this last month and I lost it. Dads pretend we don't get emotional but come on, your kid drew hearts on an apology note. That's beautiful.

LLiam S.RegularDec 14

This is one of those moments you'll remember forever. When he's 16 and being a nightmare, you'll think of the hearts. Keep that note somewhere safe.