Mom’s Response to Angry Son Shattering a Mirror — Saved Him and Their Relationship

This was my hallway last Wednesday. My angry son did this.

Broken. Sharp. Treacherous.

This was my hallway.

It was my angry son who did this.

Sometimes, often really, things break — irreparably. And it takes your breath away . . . straight away.

It took my breath away when my son stormed into the bathroom, frustrated, angry, fed-up for his very own, very significant to him, reasons. And when he chose to SLAM the bathroom door, causing the heavy mirror mounted to the front to slip out of the hardware holding it in place and crash onto the floor — a million, BROKEN pieces were left reflecting the afternoon light.

I was quiet. I surveyed the damage and took a deep breath. Put the dog outside so he wouldn’t cut his feet, put the cat in the basement for the same reason.

I walked into the backyard and felt the hot tears streaming down my face. It’s amazing how alone you can feel as a single parent in moments like these. I realized how scared and disappointed I felt. Did this really just happen? Yes. This was real.