Questions tagged [apologies]

For apologizing or dealing with apologies from others, as well as how to make one and also how to accept one in a certain way.

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How to apologize to somebody when one or both of you don’t remember what needs apologizing for?

My wife and I have been married for a long time and are in a loving relationship. Unfortunately I have memory issues (ADHD, dyspraxia and similar co-morbid conditions) as does she from both similar ...
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2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is apologizing counter to non-violent communication?

So I've been looking into non-violent communication (NVC) lately and I came across the following: Jackal Parent: Say you are sorry Jackal Child: I’m sorry Jackal Parent: You’re not really ...
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1 vote
2 answers
761 views

How to apologize after unwanted sarcastic comment while giving feedback?

A colleague of mine sent her thesis to me to give comments on it. I really liked the work. So I replied saying it was an interesting study and nice attempt. Wished her all the best. I later realised ...
-1 votes
4 answers
1k views

personal attack because of a political comment

We're 5 couples that known each other for many years and we decided to have a breakfast in a nice park. During the breakfast we spoke about the US election on a very intellectual level and one of the ...
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5 votes
2 answers
793 views

How to encourage girlfriend to apologize more?

My girlfriend and I have been together for a bit more than 2 years now. At this point, our relationship is stable and we feel good about each other's company. However, there's one thing that really ...
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2 votes
1 answer
857 views

How to apologize for an unintentional personal attack?

Background: I'm quite attached to people whom I know for a long period of time. However I met this girl A about a year ago. We share quite a common family conditions, we both accept the family ...
2 votes
1 answer
384 views

How to apologize about a broken relationship with a relative?

I have a relative, with whom I had bad behaviour. Not rude, not mean, just that I had not the good words, I did not send much text messages, and thus I was not there when this relative needed me (no ...
16 votes
4 answers
4k views

How do I reconnect with a friend after they tried once and I failed to respond

Background I've been out of college for about 4 years now, and during that time I've lost contact with one of my best friends. After I graduated college, I took a job in another city and moved about ...
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2 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to mend a friendship when my friend thinks I'm in the wrong and I don't wish to apologize

I just created this account because I really don't know how to deal with this. A close friend and I have been talking for a few months about her coming to my hometown for the summer, but we didn't set ...
8 votes
1 answer
693 views

How to apologize to a friend I hurt two years ago without scaring them?

I have a friend I met back in elementary school. We didn't talk for awhile but got reacquainted in high school, and at that time, we became friends on FB. I liked to send stuff to her if I found ...
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6 votes
2 answers
3k views

My neighbour threatened to kill my cat. How to apologize and make sure he doesn't hurt my pets?

My old cat goes into the yard with me while I water (I don't leave him outside otherwise). Apparently he has managed to scale a 6ft fence and go into the neighbours yard, because I had a fairly ...
  • 285
10 votes
1 answer
2k views

How to reapproach a girl that I liked when last conversation did not end well?

Today I talked to this girl that I liked for the 3rd time (the previous conversation ended fast and awkwardly). The conversation was going quite well (she likes dark chocolate!) until some of my idiot ...
5 votes
2 answers
521 views

How to email a friend after a year-long argument?

A little background: I used to be pretty good friends with a family member, and we rented a house together along with some other family members. I got my first job and things seemed okay until my ...
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6 votes
1 answer
891 views

How to tell long distance girlfriend we both did wrong without her closing up again

I've been with my long-distance girlfriend for 8 months now, we are both in our mid-20s. Last weekend we had a disagreement in an online game session: Once she went online I asked her to play a ...
  • 71
8 votes
1 answer
832 views

How can I apologize to coworker while avoiding another lecture?

My colleague Tom has been making me feel bad over a computer game. He's been insulting me and my ability to play this game, both during the game and at work. More info at my previous question: ...
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5 votes
1 answer
2k views

How do I apologize to my girlfriend after she said her heart is broken?

My girlfriend and I are in our 25's. We live in the same city in Indonesia. Recently, our relationship hit a problem. Last night, we were chatting about our goals. I would really like her to be my ...
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7 votes
5 answers
1k views

Drunkenly broke a bottle of sauce in someone's kitchen

I live in university accommodation and last night I went to a neighboring flat's kitchen and accidentally broke a bottle of sauce. I didn't realise this at the time. This morning I found a threatening ...
6 votes
2 answers
642 views

How to apologize but also signal that you are also owed an apology?

I usually drive my girlfriend to work on Mondays because the nearest car park is just over a mile away (although when the weather is nice she does enjoy the walk). On this occasion I suggested she ...
10 votes
2 answers
2k views

I have suggested my friend's toddler has down syndrome. How can I explain myself or apologies to her?

Background We were at a party for a mutual friend and as we were standing in a circle, talking to each other, she started talking about her kids' field trip. I was semi listening, semi listening to ...
user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
1k views

How should I apologise for making someone feel bad for something that wasn't their fault? [closed]

I recently met a girl on a night out when we were both quite drunk, and, having liked her I began texting her every now and then. After a few days, we decided to go out for some coffee. Now, when we ...
1 vote
2 answers
4k views

When someone refuses to acknowledge they hurt you, what can you do to move past it? [closed]

Emotional wounds cannot heal without an apology from the person who hurt you. If the person who hurt you does not ever acknowledge that, the emotional wound is left unresolved and it can really leave ...
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-1 votes
1 answer
424 views

Being angry at people for no good reason [closed]

I just (again) discussed an interesting problem with a close (female) friend. She frequently gets angry at people for no good reason. She is aware of the problem herself but can't help it. For ...
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1 vote
1 answer
1k views

How to apologise for not recognising someone [closed]

Recently I was at an academic conference where I met a famous academic in my area during the banquet dinner. However, for some reason I haven't recognised the name and the physical figure of the ...
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4 votes
2 answers
908 views

How do I apologize to a successful friend for feeling bad about their success?

Last week I had a stressful week at work and was in a bad mood. On the weekend, a friend, who is quite successful, invited me and some others over for the afternoon to their big house with their wife ...
11 votes
2 answers
3k views

Issue an apology over inappropriate email [closed]

Yesterday, I had family and friends over at my house, and I left my computer unlocked, and during the evening, I forgot about it. After some time if my computer is inactive, it goes to sleep. After ...
user avatar
26 votes
5 answers
14k views

How do I respond to someone apologizing for coughing/yawning?

Many times I'll be talking to someone and they'll yawn or cough (or something similar), then say "excuse me", or "sorry". I have no idea what type of response to give to this. If they'd sneezed, ...
7 votes
1 answer
28k views

What is the etiquette for responding to "Don't worry about it" with something you are sorry about

I was meant to buy travel tickets for somebody, but they all got sold out before I could. There were reasons for them not being able to buy the tickets themselves. I was helping out, they asked me to ...
  • 653
15 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to apologise for how you said something without going back on the content

A long term friend (the trend on IPS seems to be to call her 'Alice') is a little promiscuous and quite often uses her charms to get guys to do things they wouldn't otherwise do. A guy we recently met ...
  • 893
0 votes
1 answer
346 views

Should I change my attitude or way of talking based on the group conversation I have? [closed]

Background and Briefs: I have been told multiple times that I don't make good jokes and usually "bore" them with poor comments and also I am the most frequent user of English words in the group which ...
  • 107
12 votes
4 answers
2k views

Apologize to a semi-romantic friend without implying a desire to get together after my break up

Context I recently exited a long term relationship (3+ years). During the last year and a half of the relationship I grew quite close with another friend. This came to a head about six months before ...
user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
14k views

How can I apologize to a professional for being rude in an email?

I recently had an opportunity to contact a highly esteemed professional in my field for helping me with a technical post. We met at a conference that we both spoke at. They provided some feedback, to ...
30 votes
14 answers
10k views

Apologizing to an old roommate

This happened two decades ago where one of my roommates was friendly to me. But, I was rash, rude and had a condescending attitude and never acknowledged her friendly gestures. She helped me when I ...
1 vote
2 answers
843 views

Should I explain myself while apologizing? [closed]

My current situation is that. I got annual feedback during December which I joined few months ago. They were more than impressed with my coding skills, but they were not so much with my soft skills. ...
20 votes
5 answers
9k views

How should someone apologize when both parties were wrong?

The situation: I had been involved for several years in a group my child participates in and I was put in charge of a subgroup. Realizing I needed more adult assistance, I asked for help from an ...
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4 votes
2 answers
2k views

How do I properly apologize to a good friend and let them know that I did not actually want them to move to another city?

I have a very good friend, let's call him Rick, who I have been acquainted with for the past 5 years. Our relationship was strong enough that he often told me that he was my best friend, and I often ...
  • 535
10 votes
5 answers
1k views

How do I get my father back after an extended time of being estranged?

Long story short: my mother recently has been diagnosed with an inoperable malignant brain tumor and her biggest wish is for us to mend our relationship before she dies. My father and I have had ...
86 votes
9 answers
22k views

Apologizing when you've hurt a stranger's feelings badly

Yesterday in vocational school I (mostly inadvertently) hurt someone's feelings very badly. In our IT class in vocational school, there is just one girl. She's pretty overweight. I don't know her ...
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44 votes
5 answers
21k views

Angry at me for not coming over

I am dating a woman I met 2 weeks ago. We understand each other very well and like each other. For the past 4 days, she was away in her hometown and came back yesterday evening. During that time I had ...
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2 votes
3 answers
3k views

How to make it easier for someone to apologize [closed]

Sometimes we are angry of or disappointed by someone's behavior. We would feel better if that person would apologize. I know from my own experience that I find it sometimes hard to admit to a mistake, ...
user avatar
42 votes
5 answers
12k views

How to apologize for sexual harassment in the past?

Every now and then, I'm reminded about something awful or embarrassing that I did, and this, sadly, includes sexual harassment, mostly in the form of - but not limited to - drunken messages or phone ...
5 votes
1 answer
514 views

How to apologise/thank college for being flexible with accommodation?

I'm going into my 4th year of University. I lived in college-owned accommodation for the first 3 years. I balloted in January for a college-owned room for 4th year, but this summer (June) I signed a ...
  • 53
1 vote
3 answers
2k views

How to make a girl bestie come back?

She has been my best friend for several months, and I have been hers at the same time. Both are sure that she and I are the only bestie to each other, loving each other deeply. This friendship is an ...
  • 143
14 votes
6 answers
18k views

How to respond to "I'm bothering you" when I do think they're bothering me?

Some days, people at work have interrupted me with menial questions many times a day. I sometimes get irritated to the point of not being able to keep a pleasant face when they say "I'm bothering you ...
  • 653
0 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to apologize for the transgression of an acquaintance?

I recently went shopping with a girl who I met about two weeks ago. I will call her my friend to communicate the issue easily. We were exploring one of the stores, and we came across what appeared to ...
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31 votes
7 answers
28k views

How to reply to a message or email after a long delay?

I have a habit of taking a very long time to reply to emails and messages. Since some of these are from friends with whom this is my main form of contact (i.e. unless it is organised via messages and/...
11 votes
6 answers
4k views

How should a person be told to apologise when he thinks he isn't wrong?

A few days ago, in a Zoology class, one of my classmates was caught reading the Zoology textbook when the teacher was explaining. Although he wasn't reading anything that he wasn't supposed to, the ...
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28 votes
7 answers
9k views

How to accept an apology, without implying that there was no problem?

An older man barges into me. While I think he could have prevented that, I don't assume he had any bad intentions. He then apologizes and I want to accept the apology, but how? Just saying "It's OK" ...
  • 2,552
12 votes
3 answers
3k views

How to apologize to a person whom I scolded, long after the fact?

I scolded a fellow college student of mine based on a misunderstanding. Later on I realised it wasn't his mistake. Since we kept a not-bad friendship for more than 3 years, I would like to solve the ...
  • 1,634
0 votes
5 answers
2k views

How to react to an excuse if it wasn't "Ok"? [duplicate]

I was walking down the street, when a rushing older man just barged into me. He very politely excused himself for that. So I wanted to accept that excuse, but since he could have prevented it from my ...
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