You know the sound. The cabinet closed a little too hard. The long sigh aimed at the middle of the room. The “it's fine” that means nothing is fine. The word said just quietly enough that you cannot be totally sure you were meant to hear it, and just loudly enough that you did. We have all been on both ends of this. And I want to say something that may land uncomfortably, because it is worth saying plainly. Muttering under your breath is not the polite, restrained, taking-the

You have seen this exact scene, probably from about three feet away. One kid does something to another kid. A grownup swoops in. “Say you're sorry.” And out comes the flattest, most joyless “sorry” ever spoken by a human being, aimed at the floor, delivered with all the sincerity of a hostage reading a statement. Both kids wander off. Nothing was repaired. A box got checked. We do this because we want to raise kids who take responsibility, and that instinct is a good one. But