I don't think that a forced apologize negates the explanation of why it must be done. When I made my daughter apologize about a hurtful comment to the boy with one arm, I explained to her why she was in the wrong and how it hurt the boy's feelings. One some level she may have known the hurt she was inflicting but my daughter didn't pop out with emotional maturity.
And I think, even though she was 3, it wasn't a matter of needing opportunities to try again, as she doesn't run into boys with one arm except this one since. Perhaps your son is an exception, my daughter needed the explanation and the forced apology.
Ren
