This afternoon I was zoned out on the elliptical machine at the YMCA. Maya and Zion were in the rec room shooting pool. Maya came out and told me Zion was asked to leave the rec room, so I got off the machine to see what happened.

Zion was crying. He wanted to leave. He tried to block me from going into the rec room and talking to staff, but I wanted to know what was going on. Turns out Zion's trash talking wasn't appreciated and when the staff person asked Zion to talk about it, Zion told her to leave him alone.

That wasn't nice. It was disrespectful. He shouldn't have done that.

This is a new staff person and I tried to talk to her about how our family talks trash at all turns, and how it's hard for kids to know when and how to turn it off. I told her that when Zion is upset, he needs time to process and calm down before he can be engaged. I didn't want to mention his disability.

Apparently what I said was enough. Zion went and plopped down at a table by the racquetball court, crying hysterically. He didn't want to talk about it, he said. I'd embarrassed him.

I didn't mean to. I only wanted to find out what happened and work it out. Instead, I embarrassed Zion, missed my workout, and didn't give the staff person enough information to help her help Zion.

Sigh... I'll have to do better next time.