Mercy becomes irresponsible when innocence repeatedly pays for it.

Repeatedly absorbing the cost of someone’s behavior stops being generosity when other people are the ones paying. Each individual act of leniency can look kind, while the pattern quietly transfers harm onto whoever is least able to refuse it. Mercy is a decision with consequences for third parties, and their interests belong in the calculation.

Before extending another chance, ask who will carry the cost if it goes the same way again. If it is you, that is your choice to make. If it is a colleague, a child, or someone with no say in the matter, the kindness deserves a limit and a plainly stated one.