With Rosh Hashanah coming up next week, I have been thinking a lot of about the word "sorry" and teaching my kids not to just say it, but to feel it. During the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it is my job as a Jewish mother to think about what I have done the past year for which I am sorry and apologize, and encourage my children to do the same. As a mother of three, I know how easy it is to get my kids to say "sorry," but to feel sorry is another thing altogether. Empathy is a tough thing to teach but the High Holidays are an annual opportunity for me to try.
I came across this great article on Kveller.com by Meredith Jacobs. She offers some great thoughts on the topic and suggests a book (Tashlich at Turtle Rock), in which it describes a family's annual ritual to go on a nature walk, where they cast away their sins and make promises for the upcoming year. I found it so inspiring that I plan to do something similar with my family this year. Click here for some similar activities that you can do to create such a ritual at home.
In the end, we must do sorry, not just say sorry. Having compassion for others is taught as much as anything else. Click here to read my post about creating compassionate children, with a list of things we, as parents can do to teach our children empathy.
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