A playgroup lesson

I am always in astonishment over events I can learn from my child. I know sometimes I am a late bloomer but this lesson held so much meaning to many of us that were there that day.

Emma and her playgroup have this unspoken rule if they harm someone intentionally or unintentionally they need to say sorry and hug. Sometimes the coaching needs to come from us as parents but the word and the actions need to occur (something as adults we should do more with each other).

However, recently her playgroup was at a park. One child was trying to climb up something and a second child was pulling on the first child to come down. This caused the first child to go into hysterics because then she thought she was being attacked and got scared. We as parents interceded but then...

and I say this with caution, the second child said, "I was only trying to help her down", and this child's parent said, "yeah, she was just trying to help the first child down."

Except, the first child was truly scared by the second child's actions. Had the child and the parent said "sorry" and insisted on hugs, the event would have been over and peace would have been restored but that did not occur this time.

And it is amazing how simple those words and the action can help a situation. It makes me think of all the times where "sorry" was appropriate but the words were never found. Where a hug was the right thing to do, but there was no arm outreached to embrace. It seems like the simplicity of saying "sorry" could change the tides of an event. It is such the simplest of acts that make such a difference.