She was waiting for me in the kitchen and I knew instantly by the look on her face this encounter would not end well for either of us.

Rather than let her have the first word guaranteed to send us both spiraling down into a battle, its inevitable end soaked in tears and raw from screaming, I dove in with a well placed and sincere, "I'm sorry, Mom."

Talk about instant deflation. It was like the words themselves had magic in them. Wow. Good to know for later. Because ...