"It's Not My Fault" is a favorite escape application commonly used in various circles of buck-passers, especially government school administration employees and politicians.
It is also an essential tool for the chronically lily-livered, and an easy phrase for children to parrot -- if you let them get away with it even one time the phrase will be psychologically imprinted on their little souls like a cop-out tattoo, which they will then use forever in a variety of serious life situation.
"It's not my fault he's crying. Joey threw the sand at my face first."
"It's not my fault! That teacher is crazy and didn't tell me about the homework assignment."
"You didn't tell me to turn down the stove. You just said to watch it. You're the one who ruined dinner."
"It wasn't my fault. He didn't tell me he had a gambling problem when we got married."
"Fat genes run in my family."
"I'm sorry. It's school policy, not my rule."
It's not my fault. I don't like using it, and I don't like hearing it.
Sometimes I think it, though. I haven't posted for nearly two weeks, although I wanted to, and if I wanted to I could claim that it was not my fault. Due to an error on Typepad's part, which involved them thinking that my account should be suspended, then suspending it, then apologizing for it and sending me emails saying my account was reinstated, and then not reinstating it, over and over again, I was locked out from posting for two weeks, which I suspect may have put a dent in my massive Google ranking.
I could have been writing and saving up posts, but I wasn't. I was busy muttercussing Typepad, writing them emails with an increasingly large number of "all caps" sentences, and eventually, researching other blogging platforms. I didn't make the best of my time.
How do you grow bold kids who either take responsibility for their contributions to less than perfect life events or suck it up and fix "it," even though "it" really wasn't their fault?
You speak the truth. Make them apologize and ask forgiveness when they screw something up. Don't make excuses for bad events in your own life. Apologize and ask for forgiveness when you screw something up.
I'd like to say not posting for two weeks wasn't my fault, but it was. I was the one who signed up for Typepad.
Did you get the September 2008 issue of "Focus on the Family" magazine early? See page 28 for the article "It's NOT My Fault" by Chuck Colson and Harold Fickett .
Posted by: Aunt Jenny | August 31, 2008 at 02:56 PM