If there was a time to say your’re sorry, this is it!

It was a weekend and the house was a buzz with activity, family has come to visit, cousins for the kids to play with. The drill was to remind everyone, to be careful in the living room, since all my good crystal and such was on the coffee table and that this a no touch, no play zone.

It was something I had set up when the children were small to protect the nice pieces and still have them displayed and for the past 5 years it had worked well with my older son and my younger son just followed along and we never had an issue.  I also felt it was important not to hide good things and have them around as they grew up.

There was a tiffany pitcher, decorative plate collected from a Japan trip, other gifts of crystal that was given to us at our wedding.  All in all pretty pieces that each meant a lot.  All family and friend knew that these were collected and prized. My sons knew to avoid and not play around these items.

The adults were in the kitchen talking and the children playing and chasing when all of a sudden the loudest crash and glass sounds, children screamed and ran to get us. We went rushing in to see my son laying near a very heavy glass table that was now flipped over and crushed and smashed every piece of china on the coffee table.

My first thoughts were of his safety, and he looked fine, but dazed. He had been chasing a cousin when he fell, hit the top of the glass coffee table, flipping it over and spilling all the pieces onto the floor, only then to be crushed by the glass coffee table now falling on it.  Luckily when he put his hand on the table as he fell, he fell one way and the tabletop went the other.

Once all was found to be OK with my son and no one was hurt, the guests cleared out quickly. I think they knew it needed to be cleaned up and I did not want help.  I knew at that moment that today was the day if I could ever get him to say the word sorry from his lips… today would be the day.  This was something that he had never been able to do, even at home and was somehow tied to the selective mutism. What happened over the next two hours would change his and our lives forever.