He met me at the door, eyes wide and brow furrowed. I immediately knew something was up, because the only one who meets me at the door these days is our 7 pound, 4-year-old toy poodle. Not our 8-year-old who typically has his eyes glued to a computer screen watching cats jump three feet in the air at the sight of a cucumber, painful football injuries...or people opening Christmas presents. (I didn't even know that was a thing.)

No, it couldn't be good.

As I opened the door, he launched into the horrific tale of walking into our master bathroom to use the restroom only to find a wet spot on the wall by the toilet. (gasp)

Right.

His delivery needs work, but it was good for an amateur.

So I began my usual line of questioning. What kind of wet spot? What color is it? Did you smell it? Are you sure it was already there and not just bad aim?!?

He quickly assured me that it was already there and that he had no idea how it happened...but that I should see for myself. So I went to investigate the crime scene with him trailing close behind.

Sure enough, there it was. A wet spot, still dripping, directly next to the toilet. So I did what any seasoned mom would do and bent down on hands and knees to smell it.

Perplexed that my keen supermom-senses did not detect any bodily fluids, I sat back on my heels and began to survey the room around me while Hayes stood there anxiously wringing his hands and repeating, "I have no idea what happened...it's just weird."

Right.

That's when I caught sight of faint specks of red on the floor underneath the wet spot and a wad of wet toilet paper by the sink.

"Did you try to wash something off of the wall?"

You'd have thought I had accused him of grand theft, and he was getting 10-20 in the slammer.

Denial, tears, blame (it had to be the brothers...or the dog...or BOTH) ensued while I tried not to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

I wasn't even mad, at least not about whatever had happened there. I just wanted him to tell me the truth, and I told him so. But the more I prodded him to come clean, the more the frenzy escalated until I finally just sent him to his room before I lost what little patience I had left and said something I would regret. (been there done that...too many times to count)

After a few minutes in the think tank (he does not like to be alone), he came out, sat at the kitchen island, and stared at me.

"Yes?"

Then came the tears, "But I don't want you to be mad at me."

"I'm not."

"But you are! You have the mad face!"

Sigh...."Ok, a little...but not because of the wet spot or whatever happened with the wet spot. I'm upset about the lying. The wet spot can be fixed easily; the lying is the real problem. That's harder to fix."

And that's when the dam broke...and through the tears and the sniffing (lots of tears and lots of sniffing), I pieced together the sad tale of an 8-year-old who had a bloody nose, ran to the closest bathroom, made a mess on the wall, then tried to clean it up before anyone knew what had happened. How nobody else in the house knew all of this was going on, I will never know.

But in that moment, my heart broke a little.

Don't get me wrong. He was still in trouble for lying and had to listen to my "Why it's always better to tell the truth" speech. After 15 years of parenting, it has been fine-tuned and well-rehearsed, so I wasn't about to waste it.

But what broke my heart was the fact that he was afraid to tell me the truth. Not because it was horrendous. Believe me, all three boys have done worse. Not because of the punishment. He knew he deserved whatever happened. I didn't even play the "I'm disappointed in you" card, so it couldn't have been that.

No, he was afraid of my reaction.

How many times have I completely flipped out over a spilled cup, a scratch on the car, a rip in a new pair of pants? How many times have I lost my mind over something little just because I was having a bad day? How many times have I made my children feel like something material, something replaceable, was more important than they are?

Like an arrow to the heart, I realized that I had failed in creating a safe space for them to come and share their mistakes and failures.

Oh sure, they talk to me about all kinds of things. They tell me all about their friends at school, what's going on in their lives, who is doing what; and I pride myself on being the kind of mom who has an open line of communication with my children.

But when it comes to things like this, things they've done wrong and mistakes they've made....let's just say my reaction has been less than inviting.

If they can't come to me with the little things, how can I expect them to come to me with the big things?! It doesn't mean there won't ever be consequences or punishment. Those are part of life, and we have a responsibility as parents to see those through. They know that and expect it, but sometimes they just need a soft place to land when they mess up regardless of the consequences.

I want to be that soft place. I want to be approachable in the little things so they will feel safe enough to come to me with the big things too.

It's not easy when life is hard, and busy, and stressful. Our nerves are frayed and our tempers are short. The last thing we need is one.more.thing.

But in the grand scheme of things, what is really more important? Fixing a broken door or fixing a broken spirit? We all know the answer, but simply asking the question puts it into perspective.

And it doesn't become easier as they grow older, only harder. So it's time to create that safe space for my family, that soft place to land. It's time to show them that their feelings are important, and I love them more than things.

It's time.

And it starts with me. It starts with my reaction. It starts now.