Read the Following Selection
Read the following selection, or click on the play button below to listen aloud.
Saying “I Am Sorry!”
Saying “I am sorry” is called apologizing. It is not always easy to apologize to someone, but it can help make things better.
When Should People Apologize?
Sometimes we do things we know we should not do. You might argue with a friend and say mean things to her. You might break a rule at school or at home. When you know you did something wrong, apologizing is the right thing to do.
What If It Was Not My Fault?
Sometimes accidents happen. You might step on someone’s foot by mistake. It is still a good idea to apologize. Apologizing can be a way of saying, “I wish that did not happen.”
What If I Did Not Start the Problem?
Imagine a student says something mean to you in the school hallway. You get angry, grab a book out of his hand, and throw it down the hall. You might think, “I did not start it, so I do not have to apologize.”
The student was wrong to be mean to you. That does not make it right for you to throw his book. Even if you did not start the problem, you should apologize for what you did wrong.
What If I Do Not Feel Sorry?
People can tell if you say “I am sorry” and you do not really mean it. Apologizing when you are not sorry does not help much. Maybe you are still feeling angry, so you do not want to apologize. Take some time to calm down and think about what happened. Then try apologizing. The other person might still be angry with you, but you will probably feel better about yourself. Why? You will know you did the right thing.
Now, show what you know!
Complete some questions about the reading selection by clicking “Begin Questions” below.