Growing up in Nigeria, parents were always right. In fact, elders were always right. We had to apologize for the wrongs or acts we did not commit. This made me very gullible and I had difficulty challenging authority figures when needed. A culture where children are expected and required to apologize for the wrongs they did not commit is toxic. Such culture normalizes emotional abuse and toxic submission. It encourages all sorts of child abuse. When parenting does not include parents apologizing for their wrongs. We raise children that tolerate emotional abuse in adulthood. No child should bear the guilt for an act he/she did not commit. Children should not be made to believe they did something they did not do.
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.~ Ephesians 4:32
Apologize. Let your children forgive you. That’s how to model forgiveness and raise emotionally healthy children.
