What it means to say "I'm Sorry"

With the kids I watch and even my husband I've started realizing what it means to say "I'm Sorry".  In High School I had a friend who thought I said "I'm sorry" too much.  She'd say, "You didn't do anything."  But that's not what it really means.

To say "I'm sorry" doesn't mean you accept all blame for an incident, it means you feel bad for someone.  It's telling them your emotion towards them.  You can be sad that someone else had a bad day without being the cause of the bad day.  You can see someone fall and say you're sorry without it saying, "Sorry for pushing you".  To be sorry FOR something, is to accept blame for that something.  But the generic "I'm sorry" doesn't accept blame.

Therefore, teach your kids to be sympathetic.  Saying sorry does not mean they necessarily did anything.  And to my husband, if he says he's sorry, it can mean he's sorry I'm hurt, or upset or sad without necessarily saying he did anything.

In conclusion, I at least do not care if I seem to say "I'm Sorry" a lot.  I mean it.  I do feel bad for people sometimes.  I care when they're upset or sad and I will continue saying sorry without it necessarily meaning I did anything.  (And of course I'll try to say I'm sorry for things I do that affect others when I notice them.)