Richard R RamosRichard R. Ramos. Founder of Parents on a Mission,Youth on a Mission, and Latino Coalition for Community Leadership

The Powerful Apology That Changed My Relationship with My Stepson Forever

19 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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Richard R. Ramos apologized to his three teenage children for being too strict when they were younger, especially compared to how he treats their younger siblings. When he apologized to his oldest son, his stepson since age two, the boy broke down crying. The moment shifted their relationship toward healing.

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I remember a moment when my three oldest kids had become teenagers and I found myself needing to apologize for some mistakes I had made as their father. I was in a period of personal growth and had begun to see how it was impacting them. They were starting to notice and resent that their two younger siblings were benefiting from a more patient, understanding, and flexible version of me. Recognizing this, I decided to sit down with them and share my heart. I wanted to apologize for the experiences they had had with the younger, less experienced father. I wasn't abusive, but I had been overly strict and intolerant in ways that I knew might have hurt them emotionally. As I addressed each of them, I turned to my oldest son, my stepson, whom I have raised since he was 2 years old. 2 years old. And apologized for being too harsh in disciplining him at times. To my surprise, he broke down and began to cry. Until that moment,