Are you soft?

As I tucked Blake into bed last night he started crying and was so upset as he told me that he made a bad choice at school that day. They had a substitute teacher for social studies and while he knew he wasn't supposed to touch  any of the science experiments, he  did touch one of them that had a gum ball machine and was all about gum. He  explained what happened, said he felt horrible and that now he was afraid he was going to get in trouble.
I thanked him for telling me and gave him a big hug.  We talked about the situation and how everyone makes mistakes; the important part is that you take ownership , admit you were wrong, and to apologize  to those who were affected by your bad choice.
He said he wanted to talk to his teacher the next morning and I told him I agreed with that decision.  He then asked if I would call her, but I explained that this was something he needed to take care of.

When he got home he said his friends were trying to talk him out of confessing, but he said he needed to tell on himself.  His friend D told him he was crazy, that he was a "softie" cuz he also touched it but didn't tell his parents, teacher, or even think twice about it.
Blake said he went into the classroom, right away in the morning, asked to speak with the teacher in the hall, confessed what he did, said he was sorry and that he knew it was wrong and he feels terrible about it.  She thanked him for telling her and for apologizing, and said she really appreciated him coming to her.
At the end of the school day, Blake was called to the office.  The principal presented Blake with a positive paw, which is an award for going above and beyond, for taking responsibility for his actions.  When Blake got back to his classroom to share his award, he looked at his friend D and said, "maybe you should come to the soft side"!
He felt so good about confessing!
I'm so proud of him for owning it, having the courage to admit his wrongdoing, and for not falling into peer pressure.  He did make a bad choice, but he learned some very big lessons as a result.
Unfortunately he will be faced with temptations of much greater magnitude in the very near future.  I believe these instances are building the framework on how he will be equipped to handle situations on a bigger stage.
I'm writing this down because I want to remember.  I want to reflect back on this, recalling the growth I witnessed before my eyes.