spark

A big dog like that would be pretty miserable on the train. Little dogs that can fit in carriers are fine, but I don't imagine it would be a good experience for them.

First of all, thank you for the story. I look forward to where you take Robbie, and how you will conclude it. Don't rely on the media to give you an accurate picture of what life is like at an American High School. The media (including TV shows) portray American High School by grossly exaggerating everything about them. There is bullying at all high schools, but it's not significantly than what you would see in any other country. Bullying occurs in pretty much every school in the world. FTR- it also occurs in offices, churches, and wherever adults gather as well. Children do not own a monopoly on bullying, because some of the worst bullies I've ever seen are from adults in workplaces. I've gotten similar feedback from my story, and it's an interesting debate. At what point would it cross from discipline to abuse? I'll point out that there are documented cases of child abuse that are far worse than the fictional cases that we write about. Forcing a child to wear a diaper is degrading punishment, which is frowned upon, however I've seen cases where degrading punishments are applauded (children wearing signs at intersections). I don't think that would be enough to warrant the removal of a child from a home, and I doubt the police would pay attention to it. I don't think doing things like early bedtimes, even for older children, would raise any alarms, and I think that an appropriate consequence in Robbie's case.

We're not winning. And definitely, the American population is not winning. You can pretend we are, but I most definitely am not winning with this delusional trade war that isn't going help me. It's not helping me at all. It's a regressive tax! I don't get the money from the tarriffs, but I do pay more for the stuff I want. That's a loss in my book, and having people try to pretend that this is not true and talk down to me about pisses me off. It's a loss, and it's unnecessary. It's an unforced error. If it wasn't, Trump wouldn't be backing down for short periods when the ---- hits the fan. Our country is run by the most selfish and dumbest of all of us, and we're too self-involved to see what really is happening.

Continuity in these stories is a PITA. I forget specifics when I reintroduce characters.

I came out with another revelation on my most recent trip: Trains are utilitarian at night. I like to look at the land, but there is nothing to see once it gets dark. I rented a movie on my IPAD, and bought a bottle of wine to drink while watching the movie (It was Wicked- which is good). I drank it from a cup, but I was worried about spilling it. It just so happens that I use an adult sippy cup when I drink wine at home. Guess what I'm taking with me when I take my trains in Canada this summer? It's a perfect vehicle for drinking wine, especially on a bumpy train. My trip to Canada is the perfect AB experience. I get to wear diapers, I get to use a sippy cup to avoid spilling (PS- that should be the norm for me), and I get to sleep in bed that is small and the wall is close enough that it might as well be a crib.

I'm a wannabe travel vlogger, but my travel is for the fun. I love travelling, and love traveling by myself. I'll be honest, it's partly due to diapers. But it is also because I get to go and do whatever I want to do, and when I get lost, nobody else gets lost. PS- if you're visiting a city and don't get lost at least once, you missed out.

Many diaper stories have shallow endings because the character ends up in a pitiful state. They are fully regressed, ang tormented by caregivers. That was never my intention with this story. I want Eddie to finish this on his terms. I never wanted Eddie to end up living the same way that he is right now, with no control over his life. I also don't want Eddie to end up being resentful and a social recluse. IMHO, if he ends up by himself and resenting, that's just as bad as being helpless. Either he finds a network of friends that can support him, or he comes to terms with his family and interacts with them on his terms, not their terms.

Thank you, and also @Dirty Boy. Your feedback on this story has been incredible, and I'm trying to incorporate some of that feedback with how I want this story to end. FTR- I've known where I want Tara and Eddie to be at the end of this story since September, and that still hasn't changed. That's integral to the story. However, I've been traveling this week, which has given me a lot of time to process the feedback. Hopefully this won't give away the plot, but I realized that Eddie needs to confront his mom, dad, and Sara For this story to be authentic, Eddie needs to confront his mom, dad, and Sarah about his treatment. This has been a mindfuck for Eddie. it's not just the regression, it's the length of time and the complete immersion into being a toddler. The forced regression isn't a punishment. The diapers aren't a punishment for wetting the bed, they're necessary because he isn't potty trained. Since big kids don't wear diapers, he is treated like a little kid. And he's been fully immersed in this for more than two months. Spoiler alert, but Eddie will be out of diapers before he graduates from high school, which was always part of my plan. I've also wanted Eddie to come to terms with what happened during the summer (I'm not sure if that's the right word, but it's somewhere between acceptance and being resentful about it).

That could have worked with this one, but it would end up being more than 24 hours without a #2. The medicine I take doesn't allow me to go that long. I ended up walking through 3 cats and use the in coach, which is fine because I needed to move around.

I'm just going to from NYC to Chicago, which is short trip for me (I like trains😄). BTW, the diapers in the roomette are not an issue. I close the drapes and change. Pro tip: close the the outside curtains. I use a disposable bag, and toss in the trash. I do my #2s in a loo and don't mind wet diapers, so I can get through with one daytime, and one nighttime. Your trip is 4 nights, although sane people spend a couple of days in each town. I'm not sane, and a massive train geek. I'd do it 4 nights, with one night in Seattle. Pro tip: stay a night in Santa Barbara, and then train to San Diego. If you do feel free to DM me (massive train geek- so I might info dump on you).

I'm currently in a Viewliner I Roomette one on Amtrak, which is known for having the toilet right next to the bed. since there is a toilet in the room, there is no need for a toilet elsewhere in the car. The real bathroom I have is 3 cars down, and FYI- people try to pee while standing in train bathrooms and Amtrak trains rock around. It's do ot yellow water on the floor. The question gets ask: where do you go? Howwever, I have an advantage when it comes to that tonight, because I don't have leave the comfort of my bed.

I'm probably pushing into an alternate reality with that. In the story, Dr. Bennett's methods are recognized, and accepted, even though they are not typical. It also is meant for kids slightly younger than the three protagonists. The 5-year-old went from fully in diapers to dry at night in a couple of weeks (reality check?). It's also a case where the family is isolated from most families, and while it might not be accepted by most, both sides of the family have histories with older kids in diapers. Who is going to speak out? George isn't, and Alice wouldn't listen if he did. She might have caught some flack when she put Sarah in diapers, and didn't care about that. The school doesn't know that Eddie is treated like a two-year-old. Let's say CPS did find out? It would literally be a nightmare for Eddie. FTR- look at what happened to Turpin kids who went into foster care after being rescued. Eddie is 16 and wets the bed. If he's lucky, he is placed in loving home, most likely he suffers abuse on par with Tara's. The little I've blowback that I've put was quickly extinguished.

FTR- if you had an IEP and I was your case manager, my foot would need a licensed surgeon to remove my foot from that teacher's butt. It would be firmly implanted and very deep. I would then encourage the parents to respond as well. Most likely, the parent would have put their foot up my butt first. PS- it's not that I need the butt-kicking, but I'm who they go to when it hits the fan. Eddie is meant to be on the spectrum, so it makes sense that he could do well in school. Students with autism tend to focus on one thing, and sometimes that thing is grades. He doesn't have great awareness though. I know that I've presented it as though Eddie toileting was completely independent during the day, but as the story progressed- I don't think that's consistent with how I've written it. It makes sense, because in Eddie's mind, he thought he was fully potty trained during the day. it depends on your definition of fully trained. He wasn't good at wiping himself, and he and his family learned to avoid major episodes by watching his signals. From this point forward, the focus shifts from using the potty to managing the incontinence. The next chapter is the first day of school. It's Friday, and school starts on Wednesday, so they have 4 days to teach him how to manage his incontinence. However, it takes a tremendous amount of maturity to handle the day to day mechanics of incontinence, which Eddie doesn't have. Part of the reason that I've ignored Eddie's father is that I don't have a good voice for George, and his presence doesn't help me move the story forward. I need Mom to be the dominant force, with Sarah being the primary muscle of the operation. In an equal marriage that is functional, this story would be like a horror movie where the protagonist leaves when they hear the voices. Mom: We're putting Eddie back in diapers, and treating him like a toddler. Dad: Like hell you are! As it relates to the story, my excuse is: George does the post post-game show for the Oakland A's, so he works late in the evening almost every night during the summer. Eddie is already in bed when Dad gets home, and Dad doesn't wake up until later in the morning. Also, Alice is essentially a single parent, and views George as one of the kids. George can effectively deal with his work and his day the same way that Eddie could deal with school, but relies on Alice to do most of the executive life skills (appointment, money, scheduling, eating right, etc). After 18-years of letting her do everything for him, he essentially helpless without her. I'm going to write that background so you'll see it from George's perspective. It might not change your mind about him, but there'll be a reason. That's the case here as well. AFAIK, there are only 3 nurses in our district, and they aren't at most Elementary campuses. However, the HS is so big that one of them is based there, and we have non-RN in the health office as well because kids get sick all the time (a lot of kids). In the sped world, paraeducators are the ones who deal with toileting of sped students. One of my friends taught in upper Elementary, and had a student who used Pull-ups, but he could change them independently. Based on what she said, he didn't need to be reminded about either.

She's wanted to wear diapers for a long time, but I don't think she knows what that is actually like. And I don't think she would want it if she realized what it will be like. I don't think anything been written about Maddy's experience with potty training,, but I'd guess she would be a very difficult child to transition out of diapers when she was little. I wonder how she would react if she crossed paths with the kids in my story, who are roughly the same age.😀

That would be a 504, which I strangely don't have much experience with the process of implementing a 504, but that's essentially what happened when the nurse offered the permanent bathroom pass, but I don't know if the admin would need to present. Trust me- they do with an IEP. I can talk with the parent without an admin, but I can't change anything. I didn't think about including a 504, but Eddie is the type of child who wouldn't know he had a 504. He's taking classes that prepare him for college (chemistry and is on track for calculus) and functions perfectly fine. I don't think he would need any other accommodations, which IMO isn't realistic. Eddie's executive functioning skills (academic word for regulating your behavior) are essentially zero, which would affect him academically as well. From the school's understanding, Eddie's incontinence is physical, and he's expected to take care of it the same way that with a leg injury takes care of their issue. They get extra time to get to class, but are still expected to navigate the campus on their own. Eddie is expected to use the toilet on his own, and change himself. What he needs is somebody to prompt to go the bathroom, and help him with changes and using the toilet (won't independently wash his hands). That's something that is an option with younger students and severely disabled students, but not with a high school in GE classes. Tara does have an IEP, and could have a para-educator support her with toileting if that was affecting her education (which I think it would).

My diaper dreams/nightmares are getting increasingly weird and not necessarily related to wearing diapers. It is that people realize I wear them, and don't question it, and then weird things happen. Last night I dreamt that I was helping a relative move. It was time to go back to the airport and somebody packed my carry-on, which for some reason was exclusively diapers. We missed a turn getting to the airport, so I was later getting there and couldn't find my gate once I got there. After that, it just got strange. I woke up when the plane crashed head-on into a wall, but I wasn't in the plane.

I'm a light sleeper, so I typically wake up after about 3 hours, and then 1+ hour increments after that. I don't I wet all that much in the first 3 hours, but I do in the last 4. And those are the 4 hours that I don't sleep when I don't trust my protect. PS- I still leak some times, and it happened twice in Japan- so I'm not as trustworthy as I think I am.

Maddy and Hannah need to meet up my two characters, Tara and Caitlyn. I think they would have a lot in common. I liked the description of going back to underwear after a week in diapers. I know this sounds weird, but I can't remember what it feels like to just wear underwear

That's a lot words to say: Although Shakespeare is influential, there might be more people who quote "Yogi-isms". That is bad writing.

You and I started 24/7 at close, and we've shared our progress along the way, and we're in similar places. I can stay dry at night, and during the day, when I try, but I don't like to and it's a struggle.

Behavior always speaks louder than words. They could've chosen the virtual school, which would keep Eddie as a permanent toddler, but mom decided not to do that. Eddie desperately needs to be around age-appropriate peers. Eddie is 2 months older than Ashley! FTR- Tara was always meant to be a female foil for Eddie, but she became timid when I introduced her mother. As she's evolved, she's become stronger. She's the only one of the five regressed characters who actively resisted efforts to be potty trained. However, she caught both Caitlyn and Eddie doing a potty dance and reminded them to use the potty. The thought bubbles for this story (and all of my stories) happen while I'm lying in bed, and the thought bubble for the 2025 updating has been ruminating since October, and it hasn't changed a whole lot since then. I know where all of them live, I know what they do, and how they dealt with the events that happened in 2020 to 2022 The only character that I need to account for is Caitlyn. I never intended her to be as prominent as she's become, but I either have to punt and write her off, or create a story

I'm almost positive that I'll write a sequel that gives us George's background, which will explain why George married Alice, and why he chose an FLR. It won't be a long serial story like this (I've been writing this since August). George's character arc isn't that strong. In 2016, he is a 46-year-old man who lets his wife treat him like a child, but there is a reason for that. In a few chapters, Sarah will tell Eddie their mom told her at the beginning of the story, which will explain her reasons for doing this. Hopefully, there will be a different perspective on Eddie as well. Sarah usually talks like he's a little kid, even when he was in Pull-ups, but that conversation will be more appropriate to Eddie's biological age. Basically, I've got the first day of school, and then Eddie will have a birthday. After Eddie's birthday, there will be events that lead up to the conversation, and then the period shifts to 2025. Part of the reason I enjoy writing this is that I think about how I would act if I were in Eddie's place (FTR- I've thought about it for the last 40 years😁), I don't think I wanted to get out of diapers the first time, and it would have been worse if I needed to be potty trained a second time. This therapy exposed parts of Eddie that were already there, but I don't think it would have been exposed if Eddie just wore diapers at night. The question is: would either mom or Eddie change their mind if they knew what would happen?

I don't think Eddie's mom had any choice about it. He has two chances to be potty trained, and he sabotaged himself. The last time, he peed in his Pull-up because he didn't want to tell somebody that he had to go. He could have easily asked Caitlyn, who would be sympathetic. Even though Sarah gaslit him when she put him in back in the stroller, it was ultimately Eddie's fault. I don't think he would have stayed dry anyway, because he wouldn't tell Sarah that he had to use the bathroom. Caitlyn modeled the appropriate behavior, and then he lied when Sarah asked him about his Pull-up. How many of these signs of toilet training readiness is Eddie showing? Is dry at least 2 hours at a time during the day or is dry after naps Shows signs they are about to pee or poop, like grunting, freezing, or squatting Can follow simple instructions Can walk to and from the bathroom and help undress themselves Does not like to be in wet diapers and wants to be changed Asks to use the toilet or potty-chair Asks to wear "big-kid" underwear She had to let the school know about his incontinence, and they are going to handle it like they would with any other student with bladder problems. Mom could have put him in the virtual school, but that would mean he would be a baby all the time. Going to school is Eddie's best chance to get out of this, because he'll be expected to act like a normal teenager when he's there. Eddie doesn't stand out in any peculiar way, so the counselor wouldn't have known about him before this. She would report this to CPS if she knew about it, but Eddie isn't going to tell her. PS- despite what Eddie says about using the potty during the day, there are signs that it was as strong as it could be.

I like any sport, and spring has all of them. I don't usually watch the UFL, or USFL. In March, I watch college basketball.

Friday, August 12 I’m not a big kid anymore. I had too many accidents, and I didn’t tell anyone when I had one. Sarah doesn’t think I can tell when I’m wet, but that’s not true. It’s embarrassing, so I don’t say anything about it. Unfortunately, that means I’m still a baby and I have to wear diapers all the time. Sarah put me back in diapers, but I think it was my mom’s idea. I used the potty three times on Wednesday. The first time was after Ashley changed me. Tara noticed me tugging at my Pull-up and hopping around. She said, “Eddie, you’re doing a pee-pee dance; go potty.” I don’t think Sarah noticed, so she didn’t know that I almost wet my Pull-up. I used the potty again right before dinner, and the third time was just before bedtime. That didn’t count, because mom told me to go potty before going to bed. I was wet the next morning, so I had to sit in a highchair during breakfast. Fortunately, now that I know the rules, I didn’t complain about it. I willingly sat in the highchair and got to be a big kid after breakfast. When mom handed me my Pull-up, she pleaded, “Eddie, please use the potty today. These aren’t diapers, so you need to use the potty.” I huffed, “I know mom!” Mom glared back, “Don’t use that tone with me! You’ve already had two accidents. That’s too many. If that happens again, you’re going back to diapers.” She paused and warned, “By the way, if that happens, you’ll have to wear them to school.” I begged, “Please mommy, don’t do that.” “Eddie, that’s not up to me. That’s up to you, isn’t it? If you use the potty, like we hope, you’ll wear underwear and be a big kid. If you don’t, you’ll go back to diapers and be a baby.” Yesterday was our last outing of the summer. Emily’s day camp is over, so she went with us. We invited our Play Group, but Ethan and Cole are on vacation. That meant there were seven girls, and I was the only boy. I didn’t fit in with anybody. Caitlyn and Emily took turns pushing Tara’s stroller and seemed to have a great time. I’m not an adult, so I didn’t fit in with Sarah, Ashley, Nicole, or Caitlyn’s mom either. Since it was a special occasion, they considered taking us to Great America. However, it’s more expensive, Tara doesn’t like roller coasters, and I don’t think Emily does either. I prefer the roller coasters at Disneyland. The ones at Great America and Six Flags are too scary. We like going to the zoo, and it’s a lot closer. It’s close enough for Tara and me to take naps after we get home. I’ve gotten to know the animals, so I like the zoo more than Great America. Even though I was a big kid, Sarah still put my stroller in the van. When I saw it, I asked, “Why are you taking the stroller? I’m not a baby anymore.” Sarah laughed, “I know that, but I know what you’re like. Don’t worry, I won’t use it unless you wander off. As long as you stay close to me, you won’t sit in it. But, if I lose track of you, you’re sitting in the stroller.” I protested, “I don’t need a stroller! I’m not a baby.” Sarah smirked, “Let’s hope not.” I should’ve heeded her warning. Sarah is just like my mom, and she meant was she said. Caitlyn and Emily pushed Tara’s stroller just ahead of the adults, but Sarah wouldn’t let me get that far away from her. She said, “I don’t want you to wander off, so you have to stay close to me.” I promised to stay next to them, but she didn’t care. That made me mad. After that, I got distracted by the otters. I remember Sarah saying, “Eddie, we’re leaving,” but I kept looking at the otters. When I looked back, everybody was gone. I looked for them outside of the exhibit, but I couldn’t see them. I was afraid that I would get even more lost, so I sat on a bench and waited for somebody to find me. At first, Sarah was relieved. “There you are. Thank God I found you. I’m glad you didn’t try to search for us.” She took a firm hold of my arm and said, “Okay, let’s go.” I realized we were heading to the exit and asked, “Where is everybody else?” “They’re with the Elephants, but we’re going to the van.” I knew why, but I asked anyway. “Why?” Sarah replied, “I think you already know.” I begged, “Please! No! I’ll be good. I promise. I’m a big kid, please don’t make me sit in a stroller. Please, don’t be mad at me. I’ll be good.” Sarah looked me straight in the eyes, “Eddie, I’m not mad at you. This used to make me mad, but not anymore. You’re not doing it on purpose, but I don’t think you can help it.” I cried, “I’m not. It’s not on purpose.” “I know it’s not on purpose; that’s why you need a stroller.” “But why? I’m not a baby. I don’t want to sit in a stroller!” Normally I get in trouble when I whine that much, but this time she hugged me. “I know you don’t want it, but you need it. You keep getting lost, and it’s not safe. I don’t think it’s your fault. If you knew how to stop doing this, it wouldn’t happen all the time. You either need to sit in a stroller, or I need to put a leash on you.” I protested, “No, I hate the leash. Please, no.” Sarah sighed, “I don’t like the leash either, so you have to sit in the stroller.” I reluctantly got in the stroller and let her buckle me in. She asked, “now, tell me why I put you in the stroller.” I didn’t want to admit the truth, so I stayed silent. She asked again, “Eddie, tell me why you need a stroller?” “Is it because I’m still a baby?” “No, that’s not it. What did you do?” “I got lost.” “Why did you get lost?” “Because I didn’t stay close to you.” “Did you do it on purpose, or was it an accident?” I meekly replied, “It was an accident.” “What does that mean?” I didn’t want to say anything, but she repeated it. “Come on, what does that mean, Eddie?” She prompted me, “Do you need to ride in a stroller?” I shook my head, “I don’t want to ride in a stroller.” “That’s not what I asked, is it?” She repeated, “Do you need to ride in a stroller?” I nodded, but I didn’t answer. She replied, “Say it to me.” “I need one.” I couldn’t bring myself to say stroller, but it was good enough for Sarah. She hugged me and asked, “So now that you understand, are you going to be a sourpuss and whine, or will you be good?” “I’ll be good.” She rubbed my head and said, “Thank you. Let’s go back to everybody else.” I realized the bathroom might be a loophole. How can I use the bathroom if I’m stuck in a stroller? “What about the potty?” “What do you mean?” “What do I do when I have to go potty?” “Oh. Just let me know, and I’ll take you.” When we went past the gate, Sarah nodded at the guard and said, “We tried.” Even though I was technically a big kid, I wasn’t one anymore. Now that I was in a stroller, Caitlyn and Emily both had a stroller to push. Emily was first to call it. “I get to push Tara.” Caitlyn whined, “But I want to push Tara! Why can’t you push Eddie?” I didn’t want to be pushed by Emily, so I cried, “No, I don’t want that.” Caitlyn and Emily kept arguing until the adults admonished them. “If you don’t decide, you won’t be able to push either of them.” I was fine with that, but Tara wasn’t. She said, “Come on, Eddie. Let them push us, it’s funner.” In the end, Emily pushed Tara, and Caitlyn pushed me. I didn’t want to ask Sarah to take me to the potty, nor did I want to ask anybody else, so I peed in my Pull-up. After that, I heard Caitlyn mutter, “Uh-oh.” I thought it was about me, and asked “What happened?” She moaned, “I just peed.” I looked, but her shorts weren’t wet. “It doesn’t look like it. Maybe it was just a little bit, and you don’t have to tell anybody.” She replied, “I had an accident yesterday, so I’m wearing Pull-ups. If I don’t let my mom know about this, she’ll put me back in diapers.” She looked at her mom and sobbed, “Mommy, I’m sorry. I just had an accident.” Her mom was calm but disappointed. “It’s okay honey. Let’s get you cleaned up. Thanks for letting me know.” After they walked away, Sarah commented, “Eddie, you haven’t used the potty yet. Are you still dry?” I stammered. “Huh? Um, yeah?” Sarah dubiously responded, “That doesn’t sound convincing.” She squeezed my Pull-up and sighed. “Eddie, you’re soaked. We need to take care of this.” She didn’t seem mad, or even disappointed. It’s almost like she expected it to happen. She took me to the companion bathroom and said, “You know the drill. Climb up on the table.” I asked, “Is this because I didn’t tell you?” Sarah sighed, “I guess.” After she finished with the Pull-up, she grabbed a diaper from the bag. I cried, “That’s a diaper! Why do I have to wear that?” Sarah replied, “Well, it’s obvious you’re not ready for the potty. You still need diapers.” I protested, “I don’t need diapers. This is stupid. I’m not a baby.” Sarah was exasperated, “Eddie, you’ve had three accidents already. You’re not telling us, and you lie when we ask about it. That means one of two things. You either don’t care, or you can’t tell when you’re wet. Either way, you need diapers. Why did you lie when I asked, and why didn’t you tell me about your accident?” “I was embarrassed.” “Embarrassed? So, you’d rather sit in a soggy Pull-up? That means you’re not ready to be a big kid. Big kids use the potty. You know that don’t you?” I hate it when people ask questions that I’m not supposed to answer. I asked, “Does that mean I’m a baby again?” “Big kids don’t wear diapers, do they?” Since I was now a baby, I had to take a nap after we got home. Mom was so disappointed when she woke me up. She lamented, “Oh, Eddie. I hoped it would work this time.” I cried, “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be sorry. You’re not doing this on purpose, are you?” That’s ridiculous! Why would I want this? I don’t want to be a baby. I cried, “I’m not doing it on purpose.” Mom remarked, “That means you’re not ready to be potty trained.” I protested, “but I was potty trained before. I didn’t pee my pants. It was only at night!” Mom sighed, “I’m not so sure anymore. If that really was true, it wouldn’t be so difficult now, would it? I know you didn’t have many accidents, but sometimes I had to remind you, and you didn’t always do everything that you were supposed to do. Dr. Bennett said that you needed to start from the very beginning, and I think he was right. To be honest, it’s my fault. I should have trusted my instinct. I knew you weren’t ready after last time, but I wanted to get you out of diapers before school started. I rushed it, and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry about that.” I asked, “What about school? Am I gonna wear diapers to school?” Mom sighed, “I’m afraid so. You don’t want to have an accident at school, do you?” Of course not! I shook my head. Mom hugged me, “Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out. I let the school know about this and we will talk with them tomorrow.” I exclaimed, “You told the school!” “Yes, I had to. They need to know what’s happening.” “What do you mean? I’m not going to be like this at school, am I?” Mom shook her head. “No, they don’t let babies go to high school, but they need to know that you have problems making it to the potty.” “What did you tell them?” “I told them that you’ve had some accidents and need to wear diapers. We will talk with your guidance counselor about it when you pick up your schedule tomorrow.” Today, mom took us to school to pick up our schedules and talk with my guidance counselor. I had a diaper on, but I wore normal clothes; I wasn’t dressed like a little kid. I was afraid that other kids could tell, but both Sarah and Ashley said that it didn’t show. I didn’t trust them, so I asked Tara. “Can you tell that I have a diaper on?” Tara shook her head, “No, you look normal. Don’t worry so much. Caitlyn told me nobody could tell when she wore diapers, and she didn’t have to worry about accidents.” Talking with a guidance counselor was super embarrassing. Mom immediately blurted out, “This is my son, Eddie, that I emailed you about. What’s the best way to handle this at school?” The counselor nodded, “Ms. O’Connor, I totally understand. Eddie’s dignity is the most important thing right now. It might surprise you, but Eddie isn’t the only student with these kind of issues. Have you thought about our virtual school?” I know other kids who do that, and they don’t have to come to school. Mom asked, “He can do that?” “Yes. Students do all their work on a computer, and they don’t come on campus. It works really well for some students, but not so much for others.” I thought that was the best option, but mom didn’t agree. She remarked, “I’m not so sure about that. Eddie has such a hard time socializing, even before this. He may never leave the house if we try that. I still want him to be around other kids his age.” After that, I agreed with my mom, and I didn’t want to be a baby all the time. The only class I’m worried about is PE, because I have to dress out. There are a whole bunch of other kids in the locker room, and they might see my diaper. I asked, “What about PE?” Mom replied, “Why? What’s wrong with PE?” I replied, “somebody might see when I dress out.” My counselor agreed, “Yep, that’s always a concern. What about a hybrid option? Eddie can take four classes here, and the other two virtually. That way he won’t have to take PE on campus, but he still gets social interaction with other kids.” Mom asked me, “What do you think, Eddie? Will at work for you?” I shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess.” My counselor nodded, “That’s great. Just let me know what your other class will be, and I will change his schedule. Why don’t you speak with our nurse? She can help with the logistics of Eddie’s issue.” I noticed my counselor never said anything about diapers or wetting my pants. She called it a problem, or an issue. Talking with the school nurse was even more embarrassing. Mom didn’t say anything about diapers to the counselor, but the nurse asked about them with her first question. “How does Eddie handle his incontinence?” Mom shared, “He wears a diaper. I know there are other options, but it’s what works best for us.” The nurse nodded. “Well, that’s the point of using protection, isn’t it? If it doesn’t work, it’s useless.” The nurse turned her attention to me, “Eddie, I know how embarrassing this is, but I don’t want you to worry. Nobody has to know anything about it. Some kids keep their products in their backpack and come here when they need to change. Other kids keep them here. It’s all up to you.” I asked, “What if people look in my bag?” She smiled, “Well, we don’t want that, do we?” Why do people keep asking me questions that I can’t answer? She continued, “That’s why some kid’s keep them here. It’s your choice.” It didn’t seem like much of a choice. I mumbled, “Okay.” The nurse asked, “One more thing. Eddie, do you have any idea when you’re about to go?” I nodded, “Sometimes.” “In that case, I’ll give you a special pass. You can go to the bathroom whenever you need to, just show it to your teacher.” She continued, “Eddie, this is very important. Your teachers are supposed to let you go to the bathroom whenever you need to. I need to know if they don’t let you leave. If that happens, come straight here and tell me. Is that understood?” It sounded like I was in trouble, so I asked, “Why?” The nurse patted me on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry honey, you won’t be in trouble. If they don’t let you go, it’s the teacher who will get in trouble. It’s the law, and I need to know if they aren’t following it.”