Alutheria

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Maddie put into Dr Paige’s program alongside her brother by the end of this escape attempt.

I’m in much the same position with my own story. Kinda glad to hear I’m not the only one!

Thank you! I've been looking for this one for ages! Is this the full version? I seem to remember there might have been more written at some point, but I'm not sure.

Its been a few months, so figured it would be good to drop a message and reassure that this story isn't dead. Winter took its toll on my mental health and I was occupied dealing with that for a while. I'm getting back into the swing of writing now and in addition to some other stories I'm tinkering with, I'm about 600 words into the next chapter of Breaking Ground. Hopefully won't be too long until I finish it and start editing. Thanks for being patient with me.

I've asked before without any luck but I don't suppose anyone has a copy of "Matters of Magic and Dealing with Diapers" by PunclesTheClown? It previously went by "Hermione Granger is Toilet Trained!" and followed Hermione through an altered plotline of Philosophers Stone at a Hogwarts where girls had to wear diapers. One of the best stories I've read here but it seems to have vanished without a trace, sadly.

Thanks! I'm flattered to have my work be amongst the ones you're interested in! And I'm pleased to have been allowed to write in it! It makes me very happy to know you're enjoying my attempt to add to the world that you've created!

Chapter 7: Watershed The entire early and mid-evening had slipped past George and Jane, engrossed as they were in their skipping contest. After his success with Jane’s advice, he felt he was seriously starting to hit his stride and averaging at least two or three skips with every throw and sometimes more. One had even managed a record five skips, beating Jane’s record, at which point he had reflexively punched the air in celebration before piping down. He blushed slightly at his uncharacteristic outburst. Jane for her part had laughed a little at. Not a laugh of mocking and teasing, but one that said she found funny and was celebrating with him. With his throwing wrist feeling a little sore, he stepped back to spectate Jane’s attempts to retake the lead in their little contest. He watched as she made several throws, each managing four skips each. “Almost!” George grinned. He motioned to her to try again, though he was secretly glad he still held the record for their little afternoon contest. He watched as she wound up for the throw, the sun glinting on her blond hair, her brown eyes locked on the water in concentration. The smile on his face didn’t seem interested in fading. “Five! Now we’re even!” She turned and faced George, who’d been focused on her to the point he’d forgotten to watch the actual throw. “Oh, uh, great!” He said hastily. She tilted her head. “Everything ok?” “Yeah.” He shrugged. Annoyed at himself for losing focus. His wrist felt marginally better now, but as he started to look for another stone to try and regain the lead, he felt a twinge in his bladder and realised he hadn’t been to the bathroom since they’d left the house, and that was at least a few hours ago now. The orange juice Alice had served before they left had now caught up with him. “I gotta, uh, I'll be back in a minute.” He mumbled as he looked away from Jane and back to the treeline that flanked the riverbanks. He felt embarrassed just telling a girl that he needed to go and pee. “Uh-huh.” Jane nodded at him, following his gaze. If George had been better at reading people, he would have been able to tell that Jane knew exactly what he needed to do. Believing his new friend oblivious, he backed off, turned and walked briskly roughly back to the path they had followed. With any luck he could find a bush or something that was out of sight and sound of everyone. Once the river and Jane were out of sight, he looked around from where he stood on the rough dirt path, his eyes eventually settling on a sufficiently tall and opaque bush about a dozen feet off the path. He marched around it, the ache in his bladder seeming to grow more pronounced as he tried to find a spot with sufficient concealment. Satisfied that he was out of sight and earshot of anyone else, he fumbled with the button on his jeans to pull them down and began to relieve himself, the insistent ache of his bladder quickly fading away. George felt a gently warmth on his thigh and his eyes suddenly snapped down to look for the cause, watching in disbelief at the dark stains growing on his right leg. Too late to notice that a significant amount of his stream had deflected off the leaves of the bush and spattered all over his Jeans. He swore, looking frantically around for something to wipe away the accident and realising there wasn’t one. He swore again glared at the bush as if demanding answers for its treachery. He felt like kicking it as he pulled his trousers back up and tried to assess the damage. It hadn’t soaked through to his skin, but for anyone who looked at him it would definitely look like he’d had an accident. He felt his stomach tying in knots at the thought of Jane seeing him like this. Bad enough it was that she’d seen him with nappies, now she was going to think he actually needed them! He glanced around and saw the sun continuing to slowly drop in the sky. It was still warm though. Perhaps the residual heat of the day would be enough to make it fade before he got home at least? It was a faint hope, but it was the best his brain could give him at the moment as he reluctantly began to walk back towards the path and back to his friend. “Thought you’d gotten lost!” Jane smirked as she caught sight of him again. “Uh, sorry. Just took a while.” George said. “Uh, I’ve really liked doing this, but it's getting a bit late. You mind if we maybe head back home? And maybe we could do this again some time?” “If you want to.” She shrugged, but George could tell by the tone of her voice that she was a bit disappointed about cutting their outing short. Her eyes drifted down and she caught sight of the dark stain on his jeans. “Oh, do you need to go change? Your jeans...” George blushed and fought against the senses of embarrassment and frustration that were growing inside him. “I didn’t pee myself!” He blurted out before he even knew what he was saying. “It was the stupid bush, and it was just a stupid accident and it bounced right back onto me somehow...” Jane looked at him sympathetically as he rambled excuses. “Okay.” She nodded. “It's getting late anyway. Best follow me if you want to get back home before nighttime. You’d never find your way out before the wolves got you.” George’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “There are wolves here?” He asked. Thoughts of his accident temporarily forgotten at the idea of ravenous wild animals being nearby. “Yeah.” She nodded vigorously. “I mean, maybe not right here right now, but there’s wolves out east if you go far enough. Lots of them and other wild animals. My dad works for the National Park Service and he’s seen them before.” She explained. “Do they have wolves in England?” She asked. “I don’t think so.” George shook his head. “Sounds cool though, I guess.” “Alice said she’d take me out to the woods in a few weeks.” He remembered. “Maybe I'll see some there.” “Yeah, maybe.” Alice nodded as the two continued their slow walk back down the trail they’d come from. “We’ve got Bears and Cougars and stuff as well.” “Cool!” George smiled. “That would be super cool to see them!” “If they don’t eat you first.” Jane quipped. “Uh, I'll be careful then.” He replied, as Jane laughed softly. “You'll be fine. Your godmother won’t let you get hurt. Just don’t go throwing stones at wild animals.” “Who throws stones at wild animals?” He asked. “Morons, mostly.” She shrugged. “But you don’t seem like a moron, so you’re good.” “Uh, thanks?” “You’re welcome.” Jane smirked as George realised she was just having fun teasing him. “If you’re going out to the woods, you should ask Alice to take you on one of the wildlife safaris, if you want to see all that. They’re really cool.” “I will. Thanks.” George nodded. There talk drifted to idle chit-chat for the rest of the trip home. They talked about the Wildlife, and life in Washington and England. Jane talked about the city and the sites George should see whilst he was there. George told her about his life back home, which now sounded all very unimpressive compared to what he might see and experience in the US. Before they knew it, they had cleared the last of the trees and were back past the wooden fence and into the suburban arteries. “Guess I'll see you around then!” Jane smiled as they slowed to a stop just outside her home. “I’m gonna beat your score next time we skip stones!” “You’re on!” He watched her close her front door with a click, and he was now alone on the pavement, the dying Washington sun at his back as it cast a soft glow over the suburb. It made him realise he still didn’t feel all that tired and that the jet-lag had not quite released its grip on him. As he walked up to his own front door, he caught a glimpse of himself reflected in the glass of the front door. The brand-new jeans and shirt now looking rather dirty after half a day playing down by the river. And the betraying dark stain that refused to go away. It didn’t matter, he thought to himself. He’d go upstairs, slip into one of his new sets of PJs and banish the offending pair of jeans to the bottom of the laundry basket. Alice wouldn’t even have to know. “Uh, I’m back!” He called out as he pulled the door open and closed it behind him with a clunk, before kneeling down and quickly working on undoing his shoe laces. “Good timing, dinner is almost ready. I’m making Beef Tacos!” Alice’s voice echoed back from the kitchen area. Sure enough, he could pick up the smell of something spicy as well. “How’d you get on with Jane?” “It was good, yeah!” George glanced up as he undid the second set of laces and slipped his shoes off, leaving them on the mat as he gingerly walked towards the stairs and his room. “I’m just going to go change before dinner, alright?” He double timed it up the steps, not waiting for an answer, and was close to the top when he heard footsteps coming out into the hall and Alice’s voice carrying up towards him. “George, can you put your shoes on the shoe rack please?” He looked at the door at the end of the landing. Just a few more seconds and he’d have been home free. “Just a second! I just need to check something!” He called back down, hoping the vagueness would give him sufficient excuse. The stupid stain of shame on his jeans as plain as day under the bright glow of the upstairs lights. “George, can you do it now please, I need to get dinner ready.” Her normally collected and confident tone marred by tiredness. “I said just a second!” George snapped. He bolted forward into his room and closed the door behind him firmly. “George!” Alice’s shocked tone was muffled but still audible as he fumbled with his belt. There were more belt loops on this particular pair of jeans than anyone would consider reasonable and it snagged twice before he managed to pull the leather snake free and toss it onto his bed in annoyance. His jeans were swiftly pulled down and pushed to the bottom of the mostly empty laundry basket, as he made sure to crumble them up in a way that hid his accident from view. The rest of his day clothes soon followed, as he went to find a set of PJs from the dresser. He couldn’t quite remember which drawer those were in, and as he opened them one by one to find his night ware, one in particular caught him unawares as he saw not clothes of any familiar type, but neat stacks of rectangles, one half in white with some blotches of colour, the other half slightly larger and pink-ish purple –ish colouring. Memories of that morning's shopping came back to him and he felt heat radiating in his cheeks as he realised Alice must have found them from underneath his bed and unpacked them for him. “If she thinks I’m wearing those tonight she’s mad. I’m not a bloody baby” He thought as he slammed the drawer closed again with a thud. A minute later, adorned in a pair of never-worn checkered blue PJs, he gingerly made his way back down the stairs, following the scent of spices and beef. The brief flair of frustration and anger were rapidly deserting him, and by the time he left the last step he was feeling very sheepish. “I’m sorry.” He spoke. Trying not to mumble at Alice, who had her back turned to him and was hunched over the cooking hob. Remembering what she’d asked him to do in the first place, he dashed back out to the hall and shoved his muddy trainers back onto the rack before returning. “Uh, I’m sorry Alice. I just wanted to get changed, and I was already upstairs when you said to put my shoes away...” He trailed off. Alice was spooning something out onto a row of waiting taco shells and turned. “Why don’t we just eat dinner first, alright? Go get yourself something to drink.” He nodded. Searching the fridge, he settled on a bottle of orange juice and poured himself a glass whilst Alice finished making the tacos and brough them over to the table. He took a cautious bite and was happy to discover that his godmother was actually a rather good cook. The mouthful of beef and tortilla made him suddenly remember he’d not eaten since lunch, and within a few seconds he devoured the rest of the taco, pausing only to glug mouthfuls of cool juice. “Glad to see my cooking is a hit.” Alice smiled gently, but the unease remained. “It's really good!” George nodded vigorously as he wolfed down another mouthful. He was being truthful. Dinner back home more often than not usually came out of the microwave. His mum didn’t always have the energy for something home cooked, let alone something as nice as this. Alice nodded. “So, what had you in such a mood when you came in?” She asked bluntly, not really knowing how to bring up the subject more tacitly. “I’m happy to give you leeway to have fun this summer George, but that doesn’t mean I don’t expect you to follow rules or do something reasonable when I ask you to.” “I’m sorry.” George glanced away. “Apology accepted.” Alice replied. He looked like a scolded puppy, she thought. “But I’d like to know why you stormed off and yelled at me like that. You’re a few years away from teenage mood swings young man. So, fess up, what’s bothering you? Did you not have a good time out with Jane?” “Uh, no, no, it's not that. I really liked her. Spending time with her, I mean. We went down to the river and she taught me how to skip stones. “Sounds like a good way to spend an evening. Better than spending it with your eyes glued to your game screen playing Pokémon, huh?” “Yeah.” He shrugged in agreement. “It was really fun, actually. I wanna see if she can go again tomorrow. I want to try and beat her score.” Alice took a bite of her own slowly cooling taco. “That’s great George. It's good to see you coming out of your shell a bit.” But she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else going on. “So, that’s it then? You just had a really fun time down at the river with Jane?” He saw the sceptical look on her face and realised that she wanted an answer. She wasn’t stupid. She knew that outburst hadn’t been over nothing. “Uh, well, I scuffed my jeans up when I was playing.” He tried to spin his lie. He realised now that it probably was overreacting to have acted the way he had. It was just a stupid stain. It wasn’t even an accident! But his sensitivity over the previous night's wet sheets had compelled him to start digging this hole, and it was too deep to climb out now. “You were upset about messing up your jeans?” She actually raised an eyebrow now, sounding even more sceptical. “Well, you said you wanted me to keep them clean, right? When we were getting lunch and you told me to use the napkins and not wipe my fingers on my clothes?” He remembered, and grabbed hold of the excuse. “I just didn’t want you to get annoyed.” Alice shook her head. “George, that’s different. I’m not going to mind if you get your clothes dirty playing outside. I’d just rather you practice the manners I know your mother taught you. Speaking of which.” She broke off and nodded to where George had his elbows propped up on the table as he held another taco. He pulled them off quickly and then took another bite. “I said these were really good, right?” He asked. “You did. Just beef, cheese, and some spices, plus some diced onions and tomatoes. It's nothing fancy but I thought it would be good for you to have something with vegies in it today.” George was too busy chewing to reply, leaving Alice free to continue as he nodded along politely. “So, I’m thinking we could watch a film before bed tonight? You can pick. But I want you to load the dishwasher and get changed for bed first, okay?” George swallowed his last taco bite and glanced down at himself. “Uh, I’m already in my PJs.” “Did you put your protection on as well?” “My...protection?” George was confused. “Your uh, new clothes we got you today?” Alice tried to be tactful, and the way George became very interested in the beef residue and crumbs on his plate told her he was still being very sensitive about this. “You left them under your bed, but I unpacked them for you, they should be in the top middle drawer in your dresser.” She explained. “Oh. Yeah. I must have left them under there.” He said quietly. “So, I’m guessing you didn’t put your protection on?” “I mean, I’m not going to bed for a few hours so what’s the point in doing it now?” He tried to argue. “I want to make sure that they fit you and that you’re going to be comfortable in them overnight.” Alice explained. “And make sure you’ve got them on right.” “I can dress myself!” George whined. “I know you can. But you’ve never worn night time protection like this before, have you? And it wouldn’t do very much good if you put them on wrong and leaked all over the bed anyway, would it?” She pointed out. George was smouldering by now but struggled to think of a counter to her line of reasoning. “Fine.” He conceded, as he crumbled a fragment of taco shell into dust under his thumb against the plate. “Thank you, George, I appreciate you being cooperative about this.” Alice smiled. “Can you try a pair of each on and let me know which one fits best?” “Alright. I'll try the stupid nappies on.” He fumed. Making it readily apparent that he’d rather do anything else. “They’re called diapers here on this side of the Atlantic you know, so you’re not wearing any stupid nappies, as you put it.” “I don’t want to wear any stupid diapers either.” George huffed. “Diaper, nappy, in the end It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you wear your protection to bed tonight. Or would you rather wake up in a wet bed again?” “I’m not going to wet the bed again!” George whined. “And you won’t, if you wear your protection.” Alice rounded on the point. “I was hoping that you would be mature about this George. But if you’d rather throw a tantrum like a toddler, you can do that. But I’d have to make a very disappointing report to your mother the next time I call.” “Did- does she know about that?” George asked, panicking. “I didn’t mention anything to her. You know why? Because I didn’t want to embarrass you and because this is a simple problem with a simple solution. The only person making a big deal out of it is you, George. I’m asking you to take a simple step to make things better, for you. I made a promise to your mum that I would look after you, and that’s what this is, understand? Would you rather wake up in a wet bed again?” “No.” He mumbled in defeat, barely audible as he looked away again. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear that.” “I said no, I don’t.” “Good to hear it.” Alice nodded. “Now, I want you to go upstairs and out your protection on. Try on a pair of the Goodnites and the easy ups, and just wear whichever one is more comfortable.” “Fine.” George huffed as he stood up, meal finished, and pushed his chair back in with a bit more force than was needed as it scraped against the floor, and took plodding, meandering steps to the hall. “Can you put your plate in the dishwasher please?” George was silently thankful she couldn’t see him rolling his eyes before he turned around and marched back, picking up the plate and sticking it into a free spot in the plastic spokes of the dishwasher. “Thank you, George.” Alice nodded from the table as she finished the rest of her own dinner. George resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. Fine lady, you win. He thought as he made his way upstairs. With great reluctance he accepted his fate and went over to the set of drawers, opening the right drawer up and staring at their contents with a frown. The colour patterned rectangles somehow seemed even worse to him now that they were out of the packaging. One copy of each type was plucked from their neatly stacked piles and tossed onto the bed before the drawer was firmly shoved closed. He was about to begin pulling down his PJ bottoms before he remembered that the window blinds were still open. Before he closed them, he looked out onto the night covered suburb and the garden. He wondered if Jane was up to much right now. Once he was sure of his privacy, he got to work, deciding that the babyish easy ups would be the first try on. It took him a few seconds to get them open and figure out that he could just slip them on like boxer shorts, but they seemed to be able to fit him at least. He gingerly took a few steps, not liking how they insisted on rustling with even the slightest bit of movement. He gave the front an experimental poke, and then felt the rim of garment. It seemed rather thin in places. And whilst he could walk in it, it was obviously stretched to close to its limits. His mind went back to what he’d seen on the packaging, the toddler about 2 years old. These definitely weren’t meant for someone his age. He went to sit down on the end of the bed, and as he bent his knees there was an abrupt ripping sound as one of the stretchy sides tore about halfway down. The idea of his underwear ripping would have been mortifying under more regular circumstances, but George realised that this gave him an out. She can’t make me wear them if they don’t fit me. He happily pulled the ruined garments off and tossed them beside him onto the bed, glad to be rid of their infantile design. Though now that he looked at the Goodnite, it wasn’t much better. Pink and purple butterflies that crinkled to the touch and screamed “girl” to him. He took a small bit of solace in the fact that his friends and schoolmates were all a continent and an ocean away. His hopes for lightning to strike twice were disappointed as the underwear that actually seemed to have been made for someone his age fit him rather comfortably. Not wanting to look in the mirror, he slid his PJs up to conceal them. He couldn’t think up a believable excuse to not come downstairs with them on, but he could endure an evening with them on as long as they were firmly out of sight. He’d take them off after he went to bed anyway, he reasoned. Last night's bedwetting was just a fluke. “You survived your ordeal?” Alice asked from her position on one of the living room couches. “Haha.” He replied dryly, then took a seat on the other couch rather than sit right beside her. The Goodnite crinkled slightly under his PJs, and the alien feeling of underwear that was clearly too thick and fit more snuggly than his boxers did was hard to ignore. The leak guards felt strange hugging his thighs and he struggled to forget the unwelcome presence. In a way, it reminded him of Y-fronts, but worse. “So, what do you want to pick?” “Uh, the other ones are too small. I put the girl's ones one.” He mumbled. “No silly, I meant what are you picking to watch?” Alice motioned at the TV and George only now realised that she’d brought up a streaming service, already flipped to the kid's section. “I think just one movie tonight. We’re going out clothes shopping in town tomorrow.” She explained. George groaned internally at the prospect of a morning in clothing store purgatory, but managed to say nothing. After a minute's browsing, he settled on a superhero film and they watched largely in silence. Alice paused it at the end of the first act to leave the room and returned a few minutes later with glasses of fizzing coke and some of the chocolate. “Thanks.” He smiled a bit. He’d forgotten about the candy until now. He ate quietly, finding American chocolate tasted different, but still demolishing the bar at a steady pace. Chocolate was chocolate after all. The remains of the evening seemed to melt away, and before he knew it the credits were rolling and Alice was clicking the controller to try and stop it from auto playing the next instalment in the trilogy. “Alright mister, time for bed.” She declared as she got up. “Do you need me to check if you’ve got things on properly?” “I’m eleven, I can dress myself.” He scowled reflexively. “Alright.” Alice held up her hands in mock surrender. “No skin off my nose.” “Not my bed at risk either.” She thought silently, then realised that it technically was. “Brush your teeth and lights out in ten. I'll knock on your door in the morning if your alarm doesn’t go off.” “Yes warden.” He joked as he marched himself upstairs and Alice raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. The kid had an attitude sometimes. She knew where he got it from. She listened for a minute to hear the door to his room click shut, then busied herself tidying up dirty drink's glasses and empty candy wrappers. She brought them through to the trash in the kitchen and glanced at the bag of her laundry she’d brought down earlier. “Damn it.” She muttered, as she realised she’d not emptied George’s laundry basket. Oh well, she’d put a wash on when they got back from shopping tomorrow. It wasn’t as if he had much to wash apart from dirty sheets. She just hoped he wasn’t going to make any more tonight. Upstairs, George stretched and let out a soft yawn. He double checked the door was closed before pulling down his PJs and yanking off the stupid Goodnites. He didn’t need them, and the unfamiliar bulk and crinkling would just keep him awake, he reasoned to himself. He’d put them back on in the morning and Alice wouldn’t know the difference. He left them on the floor and tucked himself into the covers, not realising until he was laying down just how tired he was. Perhaps the jetlag was wearing of at last. He drifted off to sleep quickly, his head replaying images of stone skipping contests and taco dinners. And the hissing of a warm river stream...

Just thought I'd make an update post here to say that neither I nor the story are dead. Life's just continued to be busier than I like and my muse harder to find, unfortunately, amongst other issues in my life.. I'm about 3500 words into chapter 7, and I'm just working on the final scene at the moment. Once I get it back from my beta readers and finish editing I'll get it posted here. Thank you to all the folks who've shown an interest in this little fanfic of mine and who've been patient with me. I'm hoping to try and build a more consistent writing schedule and post more frequently for you to enjoy.

No a bad premise for a story, actually.

I would also recommend "The Trying Policy" by Mr Sea Otter:

I don't suppose anyone has a copy of "Matters of Magic and Dealing with Diapers" by PunclesTheClown? It previously went by "Hermione Granger is Toilet Trained!" and followed Hermione through an altered plotline of Philosophers Stone at a Hogwarts where girls had to wear diapers. One of the best stories I've read here but it seems to have vanished without a trace, sadly.

Has it really been three months? My apologies for letting this story slip into hibernation. Had a lot going on in my life lately, including a recent promotion at work. But I will try and dedicate some time to hammer away on new chapters. I've got a fair amount of notes for the next few chapters and where I want to see things go from here. Hope people are still interested in this. Once again, sorry for letting it languish.

“added fiber” huh? Guess poor Oliver will be experiencing his first poopy diaper before long.

Another excellent chapter. Keep up the great work man!

There was an incredibly well written Harry Potter fanfic called "Matters of Magic and Dealing with diapers"/"Hermione Granger is Toilet Trained!" but sadly it seems to have vanished without trace. Apart from that I'm struggling, sorry.

Virtue is a great one: There's more that was written than what in that link as well. Its on their Tumblr if I'm remembering correctly.

Bit of a long shot, but figured I would ask once more if anyone has a copy of a Harry Potter fanfic called "Matters of Magic and Dealing with Diapers". Which followed Hermione in a version of Hogwarts where girls are mandated to wear and use nappies?

Thanks for the advice. Its just something I'm going to have to be on the lookout for as I write.

Thank you! I might try and speed things up a bit from here. I'm aware we're on chapter 6 but haven't actually gotten much into the meat of the story yet. They bought them back in chapter 1. The girls version were the only ones they still had in stock, hence Alice buying them. I hope you enjoy what's to come!

Chapter 6: Conference Call Alice heard George close the door behind him – a bit too hard for her liking – and the lock clicked shut. She adjusted her position on the kitchen stool and took another sip of her coffee. Two and a half sugars, and plenty of milk. She liked her coffee sweet. Jane coming back from practice when she had was great timing. She’d hoped to get George to meet the neighbours soon, but Jane meeting him first like that was excellent news. George would really need to make friends over the summer, and it looked like he’d already made one. With any luck the two of them could spend the rest of the day getting to know each other. George could lose the sullen mood and start to have some fun. Alice knew from personal experience how isolating it could be moving to an entirely new country. How much the loneliness weighed down on you and how hard it was to pull yourself out of that rut of disconnection and unease. George’s mother had been there to help Alice out of that many years ago. Now it was time to return the favour. She placed the rounded black mug back down on the plastic coaster gently, then leaned over and pulled her tablet out of its charging cradle and powered it on. She needed to write an email. Pulling up the app icon she typed slowly with one hand. The dull pink tablet resting on the countertop as her other hand shuttled the coffee mug back and forth from the coaster to her mouth. Hi Mary, It's the middle of the night over in England as I’m typing this, but I just wanted to give you an update on things since it's been a few days. George is settling in slowly but surely. It's a bid adjustment for him being so far from home, but he’s a resilient boy. He’s already made a friend with the girl who lives across the street. The two of them are out exploring the nearby woods right now. I’m sure he can tell you all about it when he calls you – Don't worry, I'll make sure he does just as soon as the jet lag has worn off! I’m taking him into town tomorrow to pick up some swim-shorts and a baseball uniform. His first game is the day after. I’ll take pictures to send you. Did he ever play rounders much at school at home? I remember them having similar rules. I’m hoping I can make this a summer for him to remember. We’re going out to the lodge in a few weeks, and I’m sure he’s going to love it there. Should help him take his mind of things. I hope things are better for you these days. You and George deserve better than what you’ve been through. If you need anything at all, let me know. And call me when you’ve got the chance. It's been too long. Your best friend, Alice Warding Alice sat back and looked over what she’d just wrote. She frowned. She hadn’t mentioned the bedwetting. Should she? Mary didn’t need to be worrying about that right now. She had that leach of a husband to finalise divorce papers with and a dozen other going concerns after that. There was no need to add to it. As much as Alice loved her best friend, she had to admit she wasn’t the best at problem solving. Or even problem spotting. If she was, she might have thought to listen to her best friends' warnings now and then. She’d had suspicions that Mary’s decision to marry Alex had been a mistake. Now she felt rather vindicated. She could see a lot of Mary in her son. George had her same shy demeanour, the same wariness that seemed to weight down on them. They shared the anxious tendency Alice had seen in Mary since their own childhoods. The same – what was the term, catastrophising? George had seemed to react to the bedwetting as if it was the end of the world when she’d found out. Mortified and apologising profusely as if he’d done her harm somehow. Her decision to omit the bedwetting from her report was the correct decision, she decided. One person fussing and worrying over it was enough. It wasn’t like she’d be able to help from across a continent and an ocean anyway. If George wanted to mention it in their call that was his prerogative. Just as solving the issue in the here and now was hers. Running her eye over the draft for spelling errors one last time, she hit send. The rest of her inbox received a brief inspection as well. With nothing of importance being found, it felt like a good idea to make some preparations for George tonight. The tablet screen went black with a click, and she set it aside to make her way upstairs to George’s room. The bed sat unmade, and she busied herself straightening pillows and getting the duvet in alignment once again as she looked around. She was happy to see that aside from the bed, everything else seemed to have been left in a presentable condition. His Nintendo sat on the bedside table next to the empty phone charging cradle. A solitary light flickering orange as a light grey wire feed from it down into an adaptor and then the wall socket. A backpack now emptied of its change of clothes, toiletries and other sundries lay slouching on the wall next to the sliding wardrobe. As far as she could see from outside the bathroom was in an acceptable condition as well. “Spoke too soon.” She tutted only to herself as she stepped into the en-suite. Her eyes catching the towel that had been hung back up crookedly on the chrome rack. As she quickly smoothed the fluffy white cloth out properly, she caught sight of the toilet itself, and a spattering of yellow drops on the seat. Now Alice sighed. Grabbing a wad of toilet paper, she wiped it up quicky. Lifting the seat up to conduct a proper inspection. Nothing had escaped underneath thankfully, but she did find a dribble of pee had fallen on the outside of the bowl. Sliding down all the way to the bathroom floor. This too was scoured clean with toilet paper as she made a mental note to gently remind George to clean up after himself properly in the bathroom. Speaking of peeing where you shouldn’t, George’s new protection didn’t seem anywhere to be found. Not in the bathroom cabinets or his chest of drawers or the sliding wardrobe. She knew for a fact he had carried them up to his room. She’d watched him climb the stairs with them with her own eyes. Having exhausted all other options, she grumbled and got down uncomfortably on her knees to peer under the bed. There in the gloomy darkness a glint of light reflected on the plastic sheen of one of the packages. Both were almost all the way at the back, right up against the skirting board. Getting back up onto her feet she winced at the slight joint aches as she thought about how to get them out of there without having to crawl around in the cramped space like the world's most ill-prepared cave diver. She walked over towards the wardrobe and retrieved the longest looking coat hanger there. If she briefly got down on her knees again and leaned forward with the coat hanger, she could just about snag the end of the packages with it. It reached, just barely, and a few tugs later she managed to pull the package of easy ups out into the daylight again, quickly followed by the Goodnites. “What am I going to do with you George?” She asked herself as she placed the packages on top of the Duvet cover. He didn’t have to like the idea of wearing protection but throwing them about like this and trying to hide from the problem wasn’t helping anyone. Using her thumbnail, she cut a seam in the thin plastic bag and opened it out to reveal the tightly stacked row of disposable underwear. She pulled a handful of them out to look and saw the muted purple and pinks of the girls Goodnites patterns that came about the waist and leg holes. The front panel was dominated by a cartoon of Princess Jasmine from Aladin, whilst yellow and violet flower patterns served as wetness indicators. Alice nodded in approval as she examined it further. The stretch at the sides looked a little flimsy to her eyes, but she was no expert. The packaging had talked about the placement of a surge layer tailored for girls to better absorb wetness, and she wondered if that would factor into their effectiveness when worn by a boy. George would have to let her know how they felt when worn, and only time would tell them how well they held up to the “up to 100% leak free” advertisement claim. George would be wearing these tonight. She’d need to make that clear to him. He wasn’t going to deal with problems by hiding them under the bed. The easy ups received a similar inspection, and this time Alice was far less impressed. They, like the Goodnites, were a slip-on design, yet seemed smaller than them and even a bit thinner. It was obvious from the packaging that these were meant for potty training toddlers, not bedwetting pre-teens. She might have been better off with just the Goodnites. Picking up both bags she strode over to the wardrobe and opened the large top drawer. The inside was mostly empty aside from a dozen pairs of boxer shorts stacked in two neat piles. Shifting those to the side, she set the diaper packs on the top of the unit and began to stack them in the space she made. All except for a single Goodnite, which she left on the top of the unit for him to wear that night. The drawer closed with a gentle sliding sound and the rest of the diapers vanished from view. She turned and looked out of the window. Enjoying the view it offered of the back garden. They should have a barbeque out there if the weather decided to hold, invite Jane and her family over, and a few others. She looked beyond the garden. From the upper floor of the house, she could see out over the wide expanse of woodland that hugged the suburb she called home. Somewhere out there George was hopefully having some fun with Jane. Making memories and becoming less of a hermit. She hoped, at least. She’d need to ask how they got on once they were back. Speaking of, she’d need to start thinking about dinner soon. She was tempted to order takeout, but they’d already eaten out for lunch earlier. As much as she wanted to spoil her godson, a bit of home cooking would do him some good. She hoped he liked beef tacos. She went through a mental checklist of what she’d need. Alice had stocked up the fridge and freezer in preparation for George’s visit, but she’d need to think about other things. If Jane wanted to stay for dinner, what they might watch on tv. Inevitably her train of thought chugged along, and the issue of bedtime began to come into view of the tracks. How was she meant to convince George to wear protection to bed? She couldn’t even convince him to stop slamming the car door. Alice was, at heart, a manager. She organised, she planned, she delegated. No one could be an expert at everything, but you didn’t need to be if you knew the right people for a task or a situation. It was a skill that served her well in business, giving her company the edge it needed to thrive. Of course, that was the business world and not childcare. But surely some principles of organising and delegation were transferable, right? She made her way back down the stairs. With George outside playing, it was time to talk to someone with experience. In the kitchen she retrieved her tablet once more, this time swiping into the group chat she maintained with her friends. It was a small group, just a half dozen or so of Alice’s confidants and friends. When one of them – Alice couldn’t quite remember who - had first suggested forming it a few years ago they’d struggled to think of what to name it. Eventually they’d settled on “Alice’s Wonderland” as a joke and it had stuck. It was a fitting name though. Alice was very much the queen bee of their little cabal and the more than once had tongue in cheek comparisons to the queen of hearts been made. It had been a couple of days since Alice had looked, and she found herself scrolling past missed conversations. Book recommendations, plans for their next get together, suggestions for a poker night, pictures of cute pets being cute. Eventually Alice caught herself up to speed and, after giving an approving emote reaction to the idea of a poker night, started typing. Alice: Hi girls! Still getting my little guest settled in for the summer, but I’ve got some free time to catch up. What have I missed? Was hoping to ask you all for some advice as well. Melissa: The queen returns! How’s George settling in? Must be good to have some use for all those spare rooms! Katie: Yes! Details, give them! And shoot. Whatever you need, let us know! Alice: I think we’re doing alright, all things considered. Obviously, this is a big deal for him and he’s going through a lot at the moment. Poor guy been out of it with jetlag since we arrived back home. I’m taking him shopping for a baseball uniform tomorrow, so hopefully he’s over this before his first time on the pitch. I was hoping the moms amongst us might be able to give me some pointers? I’ve not had to look after a kid since my high school babysitting gigs, so a bit rusty! Also, bit of a more serious topic, but he had a bit of an accident his first night here. Found the poor guy trying to strip his bed to cover it up. Katie: Oh, the poor thing. Do you know if that’s happened before? Its more common than you’d think with kids that age. Half the kids I’ve looked after had night problems like that. Melissa: Can confirm. We had issues with my boys for years with this. Caused lot of problems before we found a solution that worked. What have you tried so far? Alice: I’ve taken some preventative measures for tonight. Katie: That sounds rather cryptic. Alice: Just trying to be delicate. He’s a sensitive boy. We picked up some protection for him to wear tonight. Though I’m not impressed with what we were able to find. Melissa: I’m not surprised. It's a real struggle to find anything that works for boys of that age. There’s Goodnites of course, but both of my boys managed to soak through them every night. Alice: Oh, well that’s what I’ve got for him. That and some easy up training pants that *might* fit him, but I think they’d perform worse than the Goodnites. Honestly, I wish I’d not bothered getting them. I was seriously struggling to find anything that might work for George. Katie: Yeah, even if he fits those, a boy his age would leak right through them I’m afraid. They’re much more meant for kids learning to use the potty. Sorry Alice. Alice: Well, too late now. Maybe I can donate them. Katie: I suppose you might be able to use them as stuffers for the Goodnites. But I doubt that would be comfortable for George. Melissa: I hate to pry further Alice, but is this a new development? Alice: As far as I know. George claims it's never happened before, but he might just be embarrassed about it. Melissa: He might just be stressed. Alice: That’s what I’ve been thinking. It's a big change for him. Poor guy has got a lot on his plate at home, and this was meant to be a nice getaway for him over the summer. Let him make some friends and get away from his troubles. But he just seems all mopey and moody with me so far. I don’t know where I’m going wrong. Melissa: You’re not going wrong. You just need the right help and advice. We’re here to help. My boys went through a similar phase, and it didn’t get better until we went to see a specialist for the help we needed. Alice: I suppose. But isn’t that a bit drastic at this stage? Its only happened once so far. We might not have to deal with it again at all. Katie: I hope so. But in my experience kids with wetting issues are usual repeat offenders. Not every night for a lot of them, but I’ve also never seen a case of it being a one-time thing. Melissa: Let me give you the contacts info for the therapist my boys go to. She’s an absolute life saver and I can’t tell you how much things have improved since we started her program. See how things go with him tonight and if it's still an issue, give her a call. You won’t regret it. The key to remember right now is staying consistent and staying in charge. Make it clear to him that this is to help him and that you know best. Don’t flip-flop or concede if he pushes back on it. Boys need strong parental figures in their lives, and they need to rely on you to make the best decisions for them. Alice: Thanks Melissa. I owe you. Oh, and speaking of your boys, I was wondering how you’d feel about maybe doing some sort of get-together with them and George? He’s made friends with the girl next door already, but I think it would be good for him to make friends with some boys his own age as well. Melissa: I’d be delighted to! Give me a call soon and we can discuss details. You should come over as well. I can show you how we do things with my boys, and young George can make some friends. Win-win. Alice: Sounds like a plan! I’ve got to go and make dinner together for me and George, but I’l be in contact. Thanks girls, you’ve been a real help. Melissa: It's what we’re here for! Katie: Let us know how things go with George. I hope it goes well for you both tonight. Alice reacted to Katie’s last message with a thumb's up emoji, then closed the app and set her phone down on the table. She felt a bit better already. Glad to know she wasn’t dealing with an unprecedented problem in the field of caring for children. She took her cup over to the sink and began to wash out the dregs of her now cold coffee, watching the murky brow water swill around and around the mug as she thought about the coming evening. Looking out the window, the light was just starting to dim. She’d been taking to her friends for longer than she’d thought. She set the cup upside down to let it drip-dry as she heard the phone vibrate where she’d left it on the table. She picked it back up and glanced at the flashing notification to see she’d already gotten an email from Melissa with the details of the therapist she was recommending. A Dr Paige, it looked like. She’d read it later. Right now she had dinner to think about it, and what would come after. Her mind switched tracks as she focused on the beef tacos she was planning to make. As she pulled down two plates from the cupboard and retrieved a pack of frozen beef from the freezer section of the fridge, she glanced out the window again and hoped George was having a good time. A good mood and a full belly would hopefully break him out of his grumpy mood, and let bedtime go all the smoother.

Found at least a part of it: https://littlelandstories.com/viewtopic.php?t=2516&sid=b1dc3feb3de18a9ed9f29de301be608e

An intriguing start! I look forward to seeing more!

Ugh, A month later and the first draft of chapter 6 is done, finally! Should have it polished and edited in the next few days for posting. Thanks for all the patience, I know its been too long since I updated this story.

Glad to hear I'm not alone!

Chapter 6 is about 50% written at this point. I'm sorry for the long delay. I'd love nothing more than to spend my days writing this story and others, but unfortunately my work has been taking a lot of my energy as of late. I've got a lot if ideas and scenes I want to get to with this story and I hope you can bear with me a little longer until the next instalment.