Back to Picasso – “And just because you’re mad doesn’t make it okay for you to throw it back at her.”
Princess: I’m sorry.
Picasso: I forgive you.
Picasso: I’m sorry, too.
Princess: It’s okay.
Picasso: You should really say, ‘I forgive you.’
Princess: I’m not used to that word.
Picasso: Sometimes it’s not okay.
Princess: I forgive you.
Me: Wait a minute. Picasso, what do you mean by ‘it’s not okay?’
Picasso: Throwing things is not okay.
Me: So, when she said, ‘It’s okay,’ you don’t agree with that, do you?
Picasso: No, because throwing is not okay. I said sorry and she needs to say that she forgives me.
Me: Sweet girl, he thinks you’re telling him that you think it’s okay to throw. He’s getting mixed up by the words we use sometimes. Maybe, when someone apologizes, let’s work on saying, ‘I forgive you,’ instead of, ‘It’s okay.’
Princess: Okay, I can try that. I meant it was okay like I forgive you.
Me: I understand that, but apparently he doesn’t yet, so let’s try to make sure he’s understanding what we say, and we can do that by just choosing a few different words.
Princess to Picasso: I forgive you.
I loved that he was able to share that with us today! I’ve heard it one other time, but he wasn’t able to articulate it quite as well at that point. It really makes you consider the impact of your words. Not only do you have a message to convey, but sometimes the hearer has a certain need which can be met by the words we choose.
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