I hurt my son and he can't forgive me

Hello all,

My 17-year old son and I have been going to karate class for a few months now, and overall it has been great. He has really gotten into it, and seems healthier and more confident. I find it to be a lot of fun. The only part that is uncomfortable for me is practicing groin attacks. I mean, it is just awkward to stand there pretending to kick your son in the balls over and over. But, I would just tell myself that it is part of the training, and not to worry about it. Well, the inevitable finally happened; I was practicing a snap kick, and he happened to step forward at the wrong moment, and CRUNCH! My foot flew up between his legs and squished his boy parts. The poor guy went down like a ton of bricks, and his face turned bright red. I was so surprised, I just started laughing. Then I realized he was really hurt, and I felt terrible. I always told him to wear a cup, but he said it was too uncomfortable. I'm sure he wishes he was wearing one that day.

Anyway, he sat out the rest of class, and I sat with him on the bench. I told him I was sorry and that it was an accident. I didn't mean to laugh. He said I did it on purpose, but I told him I would never do that. Why would I want to hurt my son? He hasn't gone back to karate class in a couple of weeks, and when I asked him why, he said he was too embarrassed to go back. I didn't realize it, but some of the other women were laughing too, and that really bothered him. I think if he would just go back to the class, he would see it was no big deal, and of course I would be super careful in the future. How can I get him to trust me again? Has anyone ever dealt with something like this?