Admitting it when I'm wrong...

In my profession, most every problem "clears while testing". Network folks rarely admit to errors.

I'm the opposite, I'm more of a "I fucked up; but I made it right" kind of guy. Seems to serve me well long term, though it can get a bit painful, sometimes.

In my personal life, I'm generally well meaning with a distinct lack of tack. Opinions, by definition, are never wrong. Offending people is wrong. I'm pretty slow to recognize and apologize for insensitive comments.

 

My oldest daughter told me recently about a time when I apologized to her when she was eight and how it had a profound effect on her.
I was in another room of the trailer while she and her sister were in the living room when I heard heard the youngest wailing.
I dashed in to see my oldest daughter holding the younger's finger in an awkward position while she screamed in pain.
I made an automatic assumption and swatted her away.
Come to find out that the younger had stuck her finger in the heater vent and hurt it that way.

I felt horrible and immediately apologized to her.
What she told me recently was how important it was to her that an adult would admit they were wrong and that most of her friends parents would never do that.
It also determined how she handled things for the rest of her life, admitting when she was wrong.

So admitting you are wrong and apologizing makes a big difference on so many levels.

 

I'm wrong all the time. Ask my wife

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That is both awesomely good to hear and incredibly sobering. As parents much of our interactions when the kids are young can be reactive as the situations we find ourselves in are ever-changing. Seemingly small incidents like this one may be long-forgotten by parents, only for us to learn years later that the meaning was quite big. Appreciate you sharing this!