Joshua had a huge milestone tonight in conflict resolution. It is so difficult for him to face conflict (much like his dad). We've been trying to teach him what to say when people hurt him or do things to him that he doesn't like. Usually, he'll just shut down, and give a fake grin because he's not sure what to do. He's very nonconfrontational.
So tonite, when we were playing and he bit my face. I immediately told him to say sorry, and that got him really upset--I think because he felt hurt that I was admonishing him for something he didn't mean any harm in.
He was crying and started to say, "Go away daddy!" It was really heartbreaking to hear how anguished he felt. He's very sensitive and get's very ashamed/confused/crushed when someone tells him he did something wrong when he didn't mean to be disobedient/misbehaving.
But Annette was really great. She tried to coach him on what to say, explaining the misunderstanding and how we could make up with one another. And then he did it--he came out of his shell and talked to me. We both said sorry and made up. I was really proud of him.
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