Ever had a conversation with your child how we all make mistakes in life? Well, I have had it twice now in 24 hours.

Yesterday, my oldest got frustrated and called some of his classmates a not nice word. The text he sent me was apologizing and saying that he was a disappointment. I realized that in that moment, he needed to be reassured that he was not and that things would be ok. And they were.

We talked when he got home. We made a plan for how and what he was going to say when he apologized, then we left for his baseball practice.

Well, this morning, I had to use the phrase we all make mistakes in life, especially adults.

Last night, well let’s just say that it was not a good night.

I took my son to his practice, met up with a fellow teammates dad for a beer and wings and while there, I saw a text message from a “friend” that triggered me. It really put me in a bad place mentally.

On the drive home, my son said something and I went off. I was frustrated at someone else but my son caught the blunt of it. I was so out of sorts that by the time my wife met up with us, I was frustrated with her and taking out the text message on her. I could not get out of my own way.

This morning, I woke up at 2:30 a.m. knowing that I needed to apologize.

I knew what I needed to say and how I needed to say it. But it sucked.

I felt like a disappointment.

I felt like a bad dad and a poor role model.

I felt sick to my stomach.

But when I woke my son up and I apologized and started with we all make mistakes in life and I messed up bad last night. I was upset with someone else. I was hurt by someone else and the last person in the world that I wanted to hurt, was him and my wife.

I am still replaying last night in my mind. What I said. What I should have done. But I could not get out of the cycle.

This morning my son out of the blue texted me, while I’m sure that he was in class, to let me know that he loved me.

We all make mistakes in life, but it is what we learn from them and how we improve ourselves that makes the difference.