David Letterman proved the quality of his character this past Monday when he publicly apologized on The Late Show for an offensive joke he told the previous Monday. Due to the huge outcry from the public – manifested in phone calls to the studio, newspaper articles and blog comments – it became clear that people were angry at the tasteless nature of the material, which he read as part of his opening monologue.
Letterman contritely and humbly apologized both to Sarah Palin’s family and “everybody else who was outraged by the joke,” saying that, “It’s not your fault that it was misunderstood, it’s my fault that it was misunderstood.” He went on to say that the subject of the joke was not Willow Palin, the 14-year-old, but Bristol, the 18-year-old. Further, he stated that “The joke, really, in and of itself, can’t be defended.”
This is important for all of us, parents and children: it’s always a good thing to apologize. If an action results in someone getting hurt, physically or emotionally, then an apology is required. No one is too big or too important to apologize for wrongdoing, and while this is a good lesson for our kids, it’s perhaps doubly important for us as parents.
There will be times when we may have to discipline our children, and that’s never an easy or fun thing to do. There are also times when we’ll act on what we perceive to be bad behavior in our kids, only to find out that we were mistaken. We should not ourselves be above apologies; it makes our children feel good about their importance to us when we do. That we care enough to consider their feelings makes a huge difference in their lives, and it models good behavior at the same time. Well done, Mr. Letterman.
