The Family Babies

[Tinkles123]

As I said at the beginning of the first episode, the story is fiction, so what you're reading is not a reconstruction of actual events. There is, however, a lot of me in the story, as you suggest. My family circumstances don't reflect Teddy's, but if you had known me when I was nine years old, you would probably notice some resemblance between Teddy and me.

One reason why I'm writing the story is, of course, to help myself sort through childhood memories, desires, and feelings. Kids who are different from others in a notable way are too often not seen for who they are, but only as an embodiment of their difference. How often do people care how the "different" kid experiences and responds to the world? Telling Teddy and Gloria's story is my effort to show readers the PERSONS that two "different" kids are.

I promise you, if there are return visits to the urologist and/or proctologist, I'll continue to spare you the graphic details. They're no fun to remember. Detailed word pictures of what it was like to be a diapered kid in a time before disposables and baby wipes, on the other hand, ARE fun to think and write about, so I've included several in each chapter.

Thanks for the question. I hope you're enjoying the story.

[Tinkles123]

The Family Babies – Chapter 13 – The Verdict

Mom, Dad, Dr. Forest, and Mrs. Winkler filled up the extra chairs in Mrs. Rayburn’s office. As they made themselves comfortable in their chairs, I looked for a sign that would tell me what was going to happen next.

“While you’ve been meeting with Mrs. Rayburn and Dr. Duncan, Teddy,” Dr. Forest began, “your parents, Mrs. Winkler, and I have been talking. Now all of us need to talk for a bit, and I’m going to ask you to wait outside. Better still, why don’t you go down to Nurse Richardson’s office. Please don’t mind my telling you this, but your diaper needs changing. Either that, or one of us adults have soiled ourselves.”

My bowels had emptied when I saw my parents walk in with Dr. Forest and Mrs. Winkler. No way to hide it. “Don’t be alarmed, Teddy,” Dr. Forest continued. “All of us have some idea of how stressful these meetings are for you. By the time you return from Nurse Richardson’s office, we should be ready to speak with you.”

Relieved, but not completely, I walked (running in the halls is forbidden, even before school starts. Besides, have you ever tried running in a loaded diaper?) to Nurse Richardson’s office. She was there setting up for the new school year, which would begin the following week, right after Labor Day.

“Do you have a gift for me, Teddy?” Mrs. Richardson asked as I closed the office door behind me. I had knocked before entering, of course, and heard her cheerful “come in!” right away.

“That’s Gloria’s line, Nurse Richardson,” I answered, glad to see the nurse. She’d always been friendly, encouraging, and helpful no matter how many times I had come to her office to be cleaned up. “I hope she won’t have to use it much this year,” I continued, “she really wants to be finished with wearing diapers.”

“I know, Teddy. Gloria came by to see me yesterday and told me. I reminded her I’m always here, just in case, and I wished her well.”

“You always wish people well, Nurse Richardson.” I said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Teddy.” Nurse Richardson smiled. “Now, how about letting me take delivery of that cargo you’re carrying?”

“Glad to, Nurse Richardson,” I answered, climbing very carefully on to the examining table which also served as a changing table. I didn’t want to smash the poop in my diaper against my butt. “This is one load I’ll be glad to deliver!” I said, a bit sheepishly.

“Just lie down and let me take care of you,” Mrs. Richardson said. “If I had a nickel for every poopy diaper I’ve changed over the years, I could retire a year early.”

In what seemed like no time at all, Nurse Richardson had cleaned me up and pinned on fresh diapers. I was surprised that the diapers felt just like the specially folded combination I usually wore.

“Your Mom wrote down the instructions for me and I’ve been folding the school’s diapers just like she folds yours,” Nurse Richardson said, noticing my surprise. Seems like the diapers protect better this way.”

“They’re more comfortable, too,” I answered, although this particular set of diapers wasn’t as comfortable as what I regularly wore. Too new, hadn’t been washed enough times yet.

“Just leave the used ones here,” Nurse Richardson said. “Your mom will pick them up when you leave. You can bring back the diapers you’re wearing now on the first day of school next week. Better get back to Principal Rayburn’s office. They’ll be ready for you soon.”

“Thanks, Nurse Richardson. See you soon!”

I walked (a little faster, now that the cargo I had been carrying had been delivered) back to Mrs. Rayburn’s office. I knocked.

“Come in, Teddy,” Mrs. Rayburn said. “We were just going to look and see if you were back yet. Please, sit down,” she said as I walked in, motioning to the chair where I’d been sitting before. I sat.

“Teddy,” Mrs. Winkler spoke first. “Welcome to fourth grade. You know, you won’t be the first diapered student I’ve ever taught. There were two others,” she said, looking at my father. “But that was a long time ago, when I was a brand new teacher.”

I must have looked a little dazed, trying to absorb not one but two new pieces of information. Had Mrs. Rayburn been my dad’s teacher? And Aunt Bridget’s too? Did what she had just said mean I was going to be allowed to wear diapers to school? I looked around the circle of grown up faces.

Principal Rayburn spoke next. “Yes, Teddy, we all agree that wearing diapers to school will be the easiest way to manage your incontinence,” she said. (I was to discover that Mrs. Rayburn liked to use adult words instead of words like “peeing” and “pooping,” and that she wanted me to learn to use them, too.) All of us have worked out some guidelines that will help us all be as comfortable as possible with the situation. Want to hear what we’ve decided?”

“Yes!” I answered quickly, wishing I had a way to take notes.

“No need for notes, Teddy,” Principal Rayburn said, reassuringly. Could she read minds? “We’re going to have this set of guidelines typed up and we’ll all have copies. Right now, we just want to explain how it’s going to work. OK?

“Yes,” I said again, paying close attention.

“First, you will have what we will call a permanent hall pass. You are to use it anytime your diaper needs attention. Just hold up your hand, Mrs. Winkler will notice it right away, and go to the nurse’s office. If Mrs. Winkler is distracted and doesn’t see your hand, just leave the room. She’ll know where you’ve gone. If the nurse is busy, go to the special ed room. There are always aides there who can attend to your diapers.”

“OK,” I said. Not too difficult, so far. The kids in special ed all knew me and liked me. And I liked them. Some of the aides weren’t especially friendly, but none were downright mean.

“Second, your classmates will be taught to let you know, in the most polite way possible, if you haven’t noticed that your diaper needs changing. It will be good for all of you to learn how to tell each other important things like that while maintaining dignity and respect for each other. The whole class will learn something from this.”

“OK” I said again. This was going to be more difficult, but I was ready to do my part.

“Third, you are NEVER to refuse your teacher’s request to have your diaper changed unless you’re not the one whose diaper is smelling bad or has leaked. No matter what you’re doing or how busy you are, stop RIGHT AWAY and go have yourself taken care of. If you don’t, you and I will have a talk about it, and you might not like the consequences.”

“Please, Mrs. Rayburn,” I said, “I won’t give you any trouble. I promise.” But I wondered, who else’s diaper might be smelling? Maybe Doug’s?

“I didn’t think you’d object,” Mrs. Rayburn said. “Fourth, if anyone says or does anything unkind because you wear diapers, you are to report them to Mrs. Winkler or to me. I know you can defend yourself, but I don’t want you fighting other children for any reason. All fights are against school rules, and the punishment is a week’s suspension.”

I wanted to give Mrs. Rayburn an argument here. “Sometimes it’s just easier to fight,” I wanted to say, but thought better of it. Instead I said “Yes, Ma’am. I understand.” I think my answer surprised Mrs. Rayburn just a little.

“Fifth, and last,” Mrs. Rayburn said, “your parents have decided you’ll wear your own diapers rather than have the school provide them. Either your mom or your dad will drop off clean diapers, and pick up used ones as necessary. They’ll also make sure you always have a spare pair of plastic pants here in case you need them. You won’t need to be concerned about carrying diapers back and forth to school.”

“Thank you!” I said, looking at my parents, who were both smiling.

“You’re welcome, Teddy,” Mrs. Rayburn responded. “I think we’re finished here, unless you have other questions.”

“I don’t have any questions right now,” I said.

Mrs. Rayburn stood up, followed by all of the other adults in the room, and, finally, by me. Dr. Forest, Dr. Duncan, Mrs. Rayburn, and Mrs. Winkler all shook my hand. I tried, as my dad had taught me, to shake hands firmly, looking each person in the eye.

Mom, Dad, and I left the school together. Mom had her hand on one of my shoulders. Dad’s hand rested lightly on the other.

“I’m proud of you, Teddy,” Mom said.

“Me, too,” Dad added. “You showed up more like a man than I did at your age.”

“Did you wear diapers to school in the fourth grade, Dad?” I asked, wanting him to tell me what it was like.

“Yes, I did, Teddy,” Dad responded. He wasn’t smiling when he said it. But he certainly did smile when Mom changed the subject, suggesting that we all stop for ice cream on the way home.

Now that I had the permission to wear diapers that I’d been wanting, I wondered more than ever what it would be like to actually do it. School started on the following Thursday. Today was Tuesday. I’d find out in nine days.

[the diaper mike]

good writer yes we it not real

[Vile-J]

Bravo ....Good story I sure hope you write more because call me a fish im hooked somewhat reminds me of my younger days.... well somewhat p;ease keep writing and thank you for sharing your story

You are an exellent story writer and I for one appreciate the effort you have put in to it ....

very well done indeed !

[Tinkles123]

The Family Babies – Chapter 14 -- Shopping Trip

Every kid, diapered or not, needs new school supplies and clothes for the new school term. I had always looked forward to the shopping trip. What was so exciting about new notebooks and pencils? I still can’t say.

Gloria, Chuck, Andy, Susan, Patty, Aunt Bridget, Mom, and I first went to Sears, JC Penneys, and Montgomery Wards to buy clothes, then to Woolworths for school supplies. I had heard that some cities were building something called shopping malls, but Mayfield didn’t have one of those yet. Most of the stores were downtown. Every place we went was busy. Gloria and I were born in the first year of the baby boom, and the stores were filled with kids our age and younger. I tried to notice if any kids our age were wearing diapers. I don’t remember seeing any.

My diaper was very close to needing a change. I didn’t especially want to ask for one, because I knew the ladies’ restroom would be busy, and might even have a line outside the door. I knew my diaper wasn’t messy, so I wasn’t too worried. Mom noticed me tugging on the back of my pants and raised an eyebrow.

“Something you want to tell me, Teddy?”

“Close to needing a change, Mom, but I hate all the stares we get in the ladies’ room.”

“They should have other restrooms for families like ours,” Mom agreed. “Maybe some day. How about we just get it over with before your diaper leaks?”

“I guess we’d better,” I said.

Gloria came along with us. I’d been surprised to notice that she was diapered when I first saw her. She’d been practicing using Just In Time Pants for more than a week.

“Thought I’d take the day off,” she said, anticipating my question. “You know how tough it is to stay dry.”

“I sure do,” I answered. “That’s why I went through all that stuff to get permission to wear diapers to school.”

“Maybe that’s what I should have done, too, but I guess it’s too late now,” Gloria said.

“You could always ask,” I responded, eager to have my diaper buddy back full time.

“Yeah, I could ask, I suppose, but I want to try going to school without diapers and see if I can make it work.”

“You know what’s best for you,” I said.

“I wonder,” Gloria answered.

In the ladies’ room, Susan went into her own stall and closed the door. Susan never had any kind of accident, night or day anymore. Long ago, though, she’d stopped making fun of Gloria and me for having to wear diapers. Mom shut the door and used the restroom first. Then she changed Gloria’s diaper and finally mine.

“Pardon me,” the annoyed looking woman in the restroom asked, “but aren’t those two children much too old to be wearing diapers?”

“What business is that of yours?” my mother asked in return, looking the woman right in the eye. Gloria and I were at the sink, washing our hands, and Mom was putting our wet diapers into the diaper bag.

“Well, I just think it’s a disgrace that children that old can’t control themselves better than that!” the woman answered huffily.

“You’re entitled to your opinion, I suppose,” Mom said. “Of course, if you knew the facts, you might not be so quick to judge.” Then she asked “Ready kids? Let’s go,” and turned to leave the restroom. Gloria and I said nothing. We followed Mom, not looking at the woman.

Incidents like that one were not uncommon in those years.

Do you remember the donut machines Woolworth’s used to have? The donuts were squeezed from a canister of batter into hot oil. They traveled along a path through an oil-filled channel that made a long oval. Half way around the oval, a cool device flipped the donuts over and they continued floating through the hot oil until they reached the end of the channel, where another cool device flipped them out onto brown paper where they would cool and any extra oil would drain off. Then someone would sprinkle powdered sugar on the donuts and put them in the display case. I loved to buy them, still warm, at a nickel apiece. Everyone in the family liked them. I not only liked to eat them, I could stand and watch them be made for hours, until someone pulled me away.

I also liked the minute steaks Woolworth’s used to sell. Sliced really thin, so they’d cook fast, they’d serve them on a roll with lettuce and tomato. Really tasty. Lunch at Woolworth’s was always a fun time for me.

Gloria sometimes had a minute steak like I did. But other times she’d have a big tomato stuffed with tuna salad, like her mom and mine often ordered. Today was a tuna salad day for Gloria. Susan ALWAYS wanted a hot dog. With ketchup! Ugh! Hot dogs are supposed to be eaten with mustard and relish. One thing we all had – with plenty of ketchup – was French fries.

Andy, Chuck, and Patty sat at a table by themselves, near tables of other kids. I saw them laughing and talking, maybe about the upcoming school year, but more likely about which girls liked which boys, and vice versa. Kids’ of Gloria’s age and mine didn’t usually admit to romantic feelings for members of the opposite sex.

Susan was thrilled to have been allowed to buy a box of 48 Crayolas. In second grade, she’d need them for art projects. Gloria and I had new looseleaf binders, pencils, ball point pens, rulers, and something called a compass and protractor, which we were supposed to need for math this year. Both of us had bought separators to divide our looseleaf books into sections for the different subjects we’d be studying.

Mom and Aunt Bridget talked about the Labor Day picnic coming up this weekend. The picnic was going to be at Gloria’s house this year. There’d be a ton of food, as usual, including a huge watermelon that would be kept on ice. If it was warm, we’d play under the sprinkler for a while. The yard was big, so sometimes we’d play croquet or badminton on the lawn. Our parents mostly played cards (pinochle, I think, or maybe bridge) and talked a lot.

Aunt Bridget’s coleslaw was a family favorite, as was her carrot cake. Mom’s apple pie was famous, and no one else’s potato salad was as good as hers. At lunch, the two moms discussed whether to take us with them while they shopped for groceries. They decided it would be quicker to drop us all of at our house and leave Chuck and Patty in charge while they went to the supermarket.

I was disappointed. I liked going grocery shopping. I enjoyed looking at all the things on the shelves, and the different kinds of vegetables and fruits in the produce department. When I saw the fish lying on ice in the display case, I was aware that, probably only a day or two ago, they’d been swimming in the ocean. I didn’t really make the connection, though, between the steaks, chops, and ground meat in the butcher’s case and the animals they had been cut from. I wonder if I would have enjoyed hamburgers so much if I’d thought about the cows.

Most of all, at the grocery store, I enjoyed watching and listening to the cash registers. No scanners then. The cashier had to punch in all the prices and hit a department key. Then, with the palm of her hand, she’d hit what I later learned was called the motor bar, which activated the mechanism that added the most recent item to the total.

A big order of groceries might cost as much as $30 or $40 back in those days. I liked to watch the tape get longer as more items were added. Once in a while, it would touch the floor before the cashier rang up the total.

I was not quite tall enough to help with bagging the groceries, but I would be before much longer. Bags were always paper, then, not plastic. Grocery bags made the best book covers too, I thought.

There wasn’t any point arguing with the decision to not take us to the supermarket. Our moms’ minds were made up. Gloria and I played checkers, Susan watched some TV with her friend Laurie from down the block, Chuck, Andy, and Patty played records. Patty tried to teach Chuck and Andy some dance steps. We tried not to look, for fear we’d laugh and annoy them.

Contemplating my next move, I felt a familiar rumble “down there.” Before I could do anything about it, a load of poop was halfway into my diaper. What could I do? I pushed the rest of it out of me. Then I jumped three of Gloria’s checkers and she had to king me. “Uh, excuse me a minute, will you?” I asked, standing up.

“Sure, Teddy,” Gloria answered. She stood up with me. Her diaper wasn’t messy. But she said she was wet, and she wanted it changed.

“I probably should put my Just In Time Pants back on, but I don’t want to just now,” Gloria said. “Maybe tomorrow. Don’t want to be out of practice when school starts.”

“I’m just glad I don’t have to deal with that this year.” I opened the door to the basement play room where Patty was dancing with Chuck, while Andy watched.

Patty noticed me immediately. How could she not? I gave her a look, and she said “Sure, let’s go.”

“Me, too, please?” Gloria asked, a little meekly.

“Of course! You know that!” Patty said, reassuring Gloria.

Patty was almost as efficient a diaper changer as Mom or Aunt Bridget. She had us both clean and dry in just a few minutes. Gloria pooped in the toilet while her diaper was off. Patty went back to her dancing. As Gloria and I walked back to my bedroom, Gloria thought out loud.

“I really need to start paying more attention to whether I need to pee or not,” she said. “I get so wrapped up in what I’m doing that I don’t always notice, and then I wet my pants…. or my diaper.”

“You do a lot better than I could, Gloria,” I complimented her. “I think you’ll do okay in school.”

“We’ll see soon enough,” Gloria said. “School starts next Thursday.”

“Yeah,” I said. Then we both were quiet. Neither of us wanted to play checkers anymore, so we put the board away.

[the diaper mike]

you are great writer Please more

[Tinkles123]

It'll be a few days before I post another chapter, but fear not. Teddy and Gloria, along with some new people, will return. I'm traveling and don't have much time at the computer at the moment.

[Tinkles123]

The Family Babies – Chapter 15 – Fourth Grade

Labor Day always meant two things to me when I was a kid: a family picnic at either our home or Gloria’s, and school starting before the week was out. I have to confess – I think a lot of kids would – that I enjoyed both the picnic AND going back to school. There wasn’t anything special about this year’s Labor Day picnic. As always, though, it was a good time. The next two days passed so quickly I don’t remember them much, except that I did go for a back to school haircut. Now it was Thursday morning, the first day of school.

For the first time, I’d be wearing diapers to school. Not the Just In Time Pants Uncle Phil had invented for us when we entered kindergarten, and that Gloria and I had been wearing ever since, but regular, pinned-on cloth diapers covered by a brand new pair of clear plastic pants. (New clothes are a back to school tradition, so why shouldn’t I be wearing new plastic pants?) Wearing jeans to school wasn’t allowed in the 1950’s, as it is today. I was wearing blue chinos, cut a little big to lessen the diaper bulge, and a white, short-sleeved shirt. My shoes were shined. I was carrying a new book bag (actually it was a brief case, a lot like the one my lawyer father carried) filled with my school supplies.

I felt a little nervous, fairly certain I’d hear a remark or two about my diapers. But I’d already been in school for four years with most of these kids. They knew me and knew my bladder and bowels didn’t work like theirs did. I realized, though, that I was less nervous than I had been other years when I’d needed to be careful about keeping my Just In Time Pants clean and reasonably dry. (Completely dry had never been an option for either Gloria or me, although she sometimes stayed dryer than I did.) This year, fully diapered, I’d have a lot less to worry about.

Yesterday, Mom had brought a supply of diapers and plastic pants to Nurse Richardson’s office. If I needed changing at school, Nurse Richardson would be able to use my own diapers. Either Mom or Dad would take care of exchanging used diapers for clean ones.

My older sister, Patty, was starting eighth grade at Mayfield Junior High, on the other side of town. She was used to catching the school bus at the corner every morning at 7:15. Her school day started at 8:00. Patty took part in a lot of school activities, and usually didn’t get home on the “late bus” until 4:30 or even 5:00, even though her school day ended at 2:45.

My younger sister, Susan, was beginning second grade. Last year, I’d had to walk to and from school with her for most of the year, and bring her home at lunchtime, too. This year she wouldn’t be needing any help from me. She had her own friends to walk with. I’d start out by myself and usually meet Gloria, and one or two other kids, on the short walk to our school, Mayfield Elementary, less than two blocks away from our home. Our school day began at 8:30. We had lunch from 11:30 to 12:15. School was out at 3:00.

I’d finished breakfast at 7:45 and asked Mom to change my diaper. Just before 8:00, I started off for school clean and dry. Susan was still eating Rice Krispies at the breakfast table. As I was closing the front door behind me, I heard the first of what usually were Mom’s several warnings to Susan about the time. “I don’t want to rush you, Susan, but …” Mom usually began.

I was so used to wearing diapers full time that I didn’t feel self-conscious as I walked to school. It was a warm September morning. Summer wouldn’t be over, officially, for another few weeks. Leaves on the trees were still green, and only the calendar would tell you that it was time for school to start again.

I met Gloria at the corner. She was wearing her new pink skirt and a short-sleeved blouse. New saddle shoes, too. Gloria’s Just In Time Pants didn’t show at all under her skirt. Yesterday, she’d shown me the new ones her Mom had made. Like the ones we both used to wear, these pants included thick training pants worn next to the skin, with plastic pants sewn to them. What was new was the regular girl’s panties sewn to the plastic pants. Gloria’s new underwear was thicker by quite a margin than other girls would be wearing, but, looking at her panties from any distance, it wasn’t all that easy to tell they were designed to take the place of a diaper.

“Dad wants to experiment with making more absorbent training pants,” Gloria had said. Gloria’s dad, Uncle Phil, was an engineer. “He’s tried sewing thin sponges inside the training pants we’ve always worn. They do soak up more, but if I sit down after I wet, they squeeze it all back out!”

This wasn’t the first idea Uncle Phil had tried that hadn’t worked out. I admired him for always looking for ways to make Gloria’s life and mine more comfortable.

“Good morning, Cuz,” Gloria greeted me. She was walking alone. Gloria’s brothers, Andy and Chuck, were both in Junior High, and rode the bus to school with Patty.

“’Morning, Gloria,” I answered. “Hardly seems like the first day of school is already here!”

“No,” she said, “it sure doesn’t. I’m kind of nervous about it.”

“If you’re nervous, it doesn’t show,” I said. “You look great!”

“Thanks,” Gloria said, “so do you.”

“Do my diapers show a lot?” I asked.

“Honestly, Teddy, if I didn’t know you wore diapers, I wouldn’t be able to tell from what I see. The bulge isn’t bad at all.”

“Probably because I’m still dry and my diapers aren’t sagging at all.”

“Maybe. Hope I can stay dry all day,” Gloria said, her voice echoing the nervousness she’d said she was feeling.

“Well, you do have permission to leave the room whenever you have to go, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, but the problem is recognizing that I need to pee or poop,” Gloria answered. “You know what a problem it is to pay attention to that when I’m thinking about what’s going on in class.”

“That’s one of the reasons why I got permission to wear diapers to school,” I said, happy, at least for the moment, about my decision.

“I still wonder whether I made the right choice,” Gloria said, sounding worried now.

“If it doesn’t work out, you can always ask for permission to wear diapers like I did, can’t you?” I asked.

“I could, yeah, but I hope I don’t have to,” Gloria answered. “It would feel like such a failure!”

“Gee, thanks!” I said, maybe a bit too quickly.

“Oh, Teddy, you know I don’t mean to call you a failure!” Gloria pleaded. “You’re smarter than I am, you play sports better, and kids like you better.

“I don’t know about that, Gloria,” I said. “But what you just said does make me feel better.”

We had arrived at the school yard. The bell wouldn’t ring for another 15 minutes. Gloria saw one of the other girls in our class and went to say hi to her. I looked for my friend, Doug, but I didn’t see him. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Doug for more than a week. We’d both had appointments for interviews about wearing diapers to school. I wondered how Doug’s interviews had gone. With Gloria making a big effort to be free of diapers, I wanted a diaper Buddy.

I headed for the fourth grade classroom. Mrs. Winkler greeted me cheerfully. “For today at least,” she said, “I’m letting everyone choose his or her own seat. I might decide to move some people later on, though. It will depend on whether this year’s fourth grade can behave like grownups.”

What luck! I chose a seat close to the door, so I could slip in and out easily. I noticed something different about one of the seats in that row: there was no chair behind it. “Are we missing a chair, Mrs. Winkler?” I asked, curious.

“No, Teddy, we’re not missing any chairs. A new student will be joining us who doesn’t need a chair.” Mrs. Winkler sounded just a little mysterious.

“Doesn’t need a chair?” I asked, puzzled.

“No, Teddy, she doesn’t. She’ll have her own chair.”

At that moment, the door opened and a wheelchair crossed the threshold into the room. Seated in the chair, her beautiful red hair loose around her shoulders, her green eyes looking just a little afraid, and her freckled face bearing the slightest hint of a smile, was our new fourth grade classmate.

“Teddy, I’d like you to meet Linda Casey,” Mrs. Winkler said, rather formally. “Linda, I’d like you to meet Edward Joseph Hawthorne the third, but everyone calls him Teddy.”

Linda held out a hand and looked me straight in the eye. “Hi, Teddy!” she said. Her voice sounded like music!

I squeezed Linda’s extended hand and tried hard to sound more sophisticated than I felt. “H-h-hi, Linda!” I said, “I’m g-g-glad to meet you.”

“Me, too,” Linda answered. I wondered what she thought about the fact that I was probably blushing as red as her hair. To make the situation just a little bit more embarrassing, I noticed right then that I was wetting my diaper.

“Teddy, Linda” Mrs. Winkler said, “you two have something in common, and I hope neither of you will be embarrassed if I just tell you what it is.”

Linda and I looked at each other. My face started to turn red, and Linda giggled, I wasn’t sure whether or not it was a nervous giggle.

“I think maybe I know, Mrs. Winkler,” Linda said.

“Oh?” answered Mrs. Winkler.

“Yeah,” Linda said. “I thought maybe you were wearing a diaper, Teddy, and I kind of hoped you were. I’ve never liked being the only one in class who had to wear them.”

“Well, you thought right,” I said to Linda. “I am wearing a diaper and plastic pants. I’ve never been very good about staying dry. I used to have a lot of accidents, but now I have permission to wear diapers to school, so I won’t have to worry anymore.”

“I’ve always had to wear diapers, Teddy,” Linda said. “My legs don’t work right, and some of the rest of me doesn’t, either. I have to have my diaper checked every three hours because I don’t always know if I’m wet. It’s always pretty easy to tell when I’ve pooped, of course.” Now it was Linda’s turn to blush a little.

“I poop in my diapers too, Linda,” I said. “I’ve tried using the toilet, but I just can’t seem to get it right. Sometimes it gets kind of nasty.” I was trying to be gallant, I suppose, hoping Linda would feel less self-conscious if I admitted that I was about as incontinent as she was.

“Would you two like to sit near each other?” Mrs. Winkler asked. “Would that make things easier for you or more difficult?”

“I’d like it if Teddy sat next to me, Mrs. Winkler,” Linda said. “Maybe he could push my chair to the nurse’s office when my diaper needs changing? I’d rather have him do it than anyone else.”

“I’d like to sit next to Linda, too, Mrs. Winkler,” I chimed in.

“OK, we’ll try it and see how it works,” Mrs. Winkler said. “Maybe you can be helpful to each other. But please remember you’ll get no special privileges other than permission to leave the room whenever your diapers need Mrs. Richardson’s attention.”

“We know,” Linda and I both said.

“Mrs. Richardson,” I asked, “did my friend Doug get permission to wear diapers to school like I did.”

“Teddy,” Mrs. Richardson said, “Doug is going to be in special education this year.” I knew she wasn’t allowed to say anything more than that. I hoped I’d see Doug soon. He was my friend. I was sure he must be feeling miserable. I was grateful, though, that I wouldn’t be joining him in special education.

Just then the bell rang, and the rest of the fourth grade started coming through the doors.

[the diaper mike]

more plz

[Tinkles123]

Mike, did you need to wear diapers as a boy? Is your story anything like this one?

[Tinkles123]

The Family Babies – Chapter 16 -- Changes

Mrs. Winkler started class in the usual way with the Pledge of Allegiance. Then she called the roll and asked everyone to introduce themselves. Linda was the only new student in our class. Mrs. Winkler didn’t say anything about her wheelchair, and certainly not about her diapers. I could tell some of the kids were curious, though. I felt kind of protective of Linda. OK, I’ll admit, I was also pretty attracted to her red hair and green eyes – and the fact that she actually wanted to be my new diaper buddy.

Gloria had taken a seat several rows away. All the seats in the row by the door, and the one next to it, had been filled by the time she came through the door. I could see Gloria looked a little concerned. In order to leave the room, she’d have to walk past two rows of students. Everyone would know where she was going. If she’d already had an accident, it would be even worse. By 9:30, Gloria was already squirming in her seat a little. Maybe she was just a little uncomfortable. I wished she’d just go to the girls’ room before she wet her pants, but I knew Gloria didn’t like drawing attention to herself.

The word was already out about Doug. Someone had seen him going in to the special ed room with the other kids. Word was being passed around our classroom. I wondered if the kids knew I was diapered… or even that Linda was. I had wet two more times during the first hour of class. I could feel my diaper was getting close to dangerously wet, so I put my hand up. Mrs. Richardson nodded. As I was getting up to go have my diaper changed, Linda tapped me on my arm. I knew what she probably wanted, so, for the first of what would be many times, I pulled her wheelchair back from her desk and carefully rolled it out the door and toward the nurse’s office.

“I’m glad you got up to leave, Teddy,” Linda said, sounding relieved. “I know it’s not very ladylike, but I can feel that I’m gonna have a really full diaper any minute now. I didn’t want to stink up the classroom. I figured you could handle it if anyone could.”

True to her word, Linda sort of groaned as she filled her diaper with some awful-smelling poop.

“I’ve done worse than that,” I said, trying to be a gentleman.

“Hmm… I hope we don’t make a contest out of it!” Linda said. “Winning would be worse than losing!”

We had reached the nurse’s office. I opened the door and rolled Linda’s chair through. Nurse Richardson saw the two of us and smiled.

“I hoped you’d become friends,” Nurse Richardson said. “Let me guess why you’re here.”

Linda had already met Nurse Richardson, and seemed to like her. “Teddy, do you mind if I go first?” she asked.

“No, not at all,” I said. Linda had a pair of crutches neatly attached to her wheel chair. Nurse Richardson showed me how to detach the crutches from the chair and hand them to Linda. Linda used her crutches to walk into the examining room where the table also served as a changing table. She walked pretty well with the crutches, although I could see it was an effort.

While Nurse Richardson changed Linda’s diaper, I wet mine again. Now it was soaked.

“Looks like you made it just in time,” Nurse Richardson said as she unpinned my very soggy diaper and cleaned me up.

“I’ve been kind of nervous this morning, Nurse Richardson. You know, first day of school and all. When I’m nervous, I always wet more. Thanks for changing my diaper.”

“My pleasure, Teddy,” Nurse Richardson said with a smile. “You’re always polite and appreciative. Why wouldn’t I be happy to change your diaper?

Nurse Richardson helped me down from the examining table after expertly pinning on fresh diapers and pulling up my plastic pants. “See you later.”

“Yeah, you probably will,” I agreed. “I’m sure I’ll need another diaper change this afternoon.”

“Did taking me with you to get our diapers changed embarrass you?” Linda asked as I pushed her chair back to our classroom?

“A little at first,” I confessed. “But I got over that pretty fast.”

“I worried that you wouldn’t be able to deal with me pooping my diaper right in front of you,” Linda said. “Especially when it smelled so bad.”

“Everybody has to poop, Linda,” I said. “Some of us have to do it in diapers. It’s not our fault. We can’t help it…. Hey, there’s my cousin Gloria!” Gloria was just coming out of the girls’ bathroom. I introduced her to Linda. They exchanged hello’s.

“I didn’t make it quite in time,” Gloria said, a little unhappy. Linda looked a little confused.

“Oh, sorry Linda,” Gloria said. “I should explain. Teddy and I both have “the family problem” of not being to control wetting and pooping very well. We’ve always been known as the family babies, but I’m trying as hard as I can to stay clean and dry, and I’m wearing special underwear that my father designed in case I have accidents …. Like I just did.”

“Gee, that’s tough,” Linda sympathized. “I’ve never been able to even think about staying clean and dry, but wouldn’t it be easier to just wear diapers like Teddy does?”

“I thought about doing that,” Gloria said, “and I do wear diapers at night and lots of other times. I just wanted so much to be like the other kids and use a toilet at school. I had to give it a try.”

“Well, I hope you make it,” Linda said.

“Thanks,” Gloria answered. “So do I.”

One of the other boys wheeled Linda’s chair to the cafeteria for lunch. Gloria and I went home, as we always did. Gloria needed clean underwear. I pooped in my diaper right outside the school door. Didn’t even stop walking, just felt a little cramp and the next thing I knew my diaper was full. I’d been trying to hold it in for a few minutes, not wanting Nurse Richardson to have to change my diaper again before lunch. As Gloria and I walked home, Gloria told me she’d just wet her underwear again. She felt a little trickle running down her leg.

“You know, Teddy, I think I made a mistake,” Gloria said. It was obvious that her underwear was sagging from the weight of all the pee that was in it. She tried to hitch it up without looking too ridiculous.

“I don’t know, Cuz.” I didn’t know, really. Gloria was better at staying dry than I was, but she still had a lot of accidents. “I hate to see you all worried looking and unhappy.”

“I’ll be okay,” Gloria said. “I just have to think this whole thing over some more. Oh, by the way, while you and Linda were getting your diapers changed, Mrs. Winkler talked to the rest of us and explained that you were both wearing diapers because you need them. She said that if anyone did any teasing or said anything cruel, they’d have to answer to her. I was surprised that the kids said nice things about both of you, and promised to be nice. Well, Charlie Hollister had an evil look in his eye, but he didn’t say anything. One of the kids asked if I was wearing diapers, too. I said I wasn’t, at least not now, because I was trying hard to stay dry. Then I wet my pants and had to leave the room in a hurry.”

“I’m glad the kids all know,” I said, “and I’m sorry you wet your pants. I hope it goes better for you this afternoon.”

“So do I,” Gloria said.

We each went to our own homes for lunch and a change.

[abdljoey]

Lots of nice memories for guys my age - and nothing to do with the incontinence plotline. Little things like going home for lunch, Woolworths, no jeans in school. Very nice detail. I'm late to join the readers, but not too late to thank you for your efforts.

[the diaper mike]

more plz

[Tinkles123]

The Family Babies – Chapter 17 – How Dry I’m Not

“Eat first or diaper change first?” Mom asked, glad to see me.

“Diaper change first, please, Mom,” I answered. I can’t think about eating when I smell like I do now.”

“Yes, that’s quite a load of cargo you’re carrying,” Mom observed as she cleaned me up and rediapered me. “I see your diaper is not all that wet, though. Did you have the nurse change your diaper this morning?”

“Yeah, and there’s a new girl in school who uses a wheelchair and wears diapers, too,” I said. “Her name’s Linda Casey and she has red hair and green eyes and she’s pretty.”

“That’s nice,” Mom said, finishing my diaper change. “Maybe she can come over here after school some time.”

“I’d like that,” I answered. “Gloria met her, too, and I think they like each other.”

“Did Gloria manage to stay dry this morning?” Mom asked hopefully.”

“No, she had an accident in school and on the way home her diaper … I mean her Just In Time Pants … leaked a little,” I answered.

“Oh, poor Gloria!” Mom said. “I guess she wasn’t very happy about that.”

“No, she wasn’t, “ I said. “She thinks maybe she made the wrong decision.”

“I wondered about that myself,” Mom said kind of quietly. “Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. Hungry?”

I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. Susan was already at the table, eating. “Did you have fun this morning, Kiddo?” I asked as I sat down.

“Yeah, Teddy, it was neat,” Susan said, excited. “My new teacher is really nice and I know almost all of the kids. I think school is going to be fun this year. Mom, teacher says I have to have covers on all my books.”

“We can cover them tonight,” Mom said. “Eat your lunch, Susan. You were almost late for school this morning.”

“Yeah, I know,” Susan said. “I just made it into the classroom before the late bell rang. Teacher said if anyone’s late, they have to stay after school. I didn’t wanna be the first one!” Susan hurriedly finished her sandwich and soup, and started back to school before I was done eating.

I met Gloria at the corner as I was walking back to school. She looked a little happier than she had before lunch.

“Mom told me not to worry so much,” Gloria said. “She remembers how it was for her in fourth grade. She wants it to be better for me. She told me to remember accidents are nothing to be ashamed about, and if I had one to not worry about it. I asked her if she thought I should be wearing diapers instead of Just In Time pants, and she said that had to be my decision. She wasn’t going to make it for me. But she said I could talk to her about it any time I wanted to.”

I saw that Linda had made friends with some of the other kids and was on the playground watching some of the girls jump rope. Gloria joined in, holding one end of the rope first, then taking her turn. Several of the boys in our class were gathered around Linda’s wheel chair, asking if they could push her back to the classroom. I hadn’t thought about how Linda managed to get her chair inside the school building. There were steps to the front door. But I saw that someone had built a ramp to one of the side doors. I guessed they’d built the ramp for Linda’s chair.

“I want Teddy to push me back to class,” Linda said, with a little smile. Some of the boys were clearly unhappy as I began pushing Linda’s chair up the ramp.

The afternoon went by quickly. Linda and I didn’t need to have our diapers changed, since we’d both been changed at lunchtime. Mrs. Winkler reviewed third grade spelling words by giving us a spelling bee. Gloria and I were usually the two top students in a spelling bee, but this afternoon, Gloria missed on an easy word. Right after she missed, she left to go to the girls’ room. I knew she’d missed an easy word because she was trying so hard not to wet her pants.

I pushed Linda’s chair out of the building after school. She carried her books in a neat sack that hung on her chair. Linda’s mom met us outside the school, and, after we all introduced ourselves, she expertly lifted Linda out of her chair and into the front seat of the car. There were no seat belts then, and people didn’t realize that kids our age shouldn’t sit in the front seat. Linda’s mom went inside to the nurse’s office to pick up Linda’s used diapers. Gloria and I waited with Linda.

“Would you like to come over to my house after school tomorrow?” Gloria asked.

“Sure I would,” Linda said. “Let’s ask my mom if it’s okay. I can use my crutches, so I won’t have to worry about using the wheelchair in your house. I can walk up and down stairs with them if I’m careful. And I guess your mom can change my diapers if I need them changed?

“She’s an expert,” Gloria said. “She still has wetting problems herself, and wears diapers sometimes. So does Teddy’s dad. I still wear diapers a lot, too, in fact, I’m going to have mom put me into one as soon as I get home. Today was awful! I missed an easy spelling word because I was trying not to wet my pants, and then I wet them anyway!” The words fell out of Gloria in a tumble.

Linda’s Mom agreed that she could come over to Gloria’s after school the next day, but said she’d bring us all there and pick Linda up around 5:30 for dinner.

“Can’t Linda stay for dinner?” Gloria asked?

“Maybe next time,” Mrs. Casey said. “Would you kids like me to take you home now?”

“Maybe Teddy would, but I have to walk,” Gloria said. “I just wet my pants and don’t want to leak on your car seat.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that!” Mrs. Casey said. “We’re used to wet seats in our family. The seatcovers are plastic. If you lift up your skirt so it doesn’t get wet, you’ll be fine!”

I had always appreciated how cool my Mom and Gloria’s mom were about diapers and stuff. If anything, it seemed like Linda’s mom was even less bothered about accidents than ours were.

Mrs. Casey dropped Gloria off first, then me. Linda was happily telling her mother about the friends she’d met, and about everything that had happened at school that day.

I said “See you tomorrow, Linda. Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Casey,” as I got out of the car. Linda smiled at me.

[the diaper mike]

good

[Tinkles123]

The Family Babies - Chapter 18 - Gloria Relaxes and Dad Remembers

I went inside, asked Mom to change what was by now a very soggy diaper, and, after I'd had my diaper changed, put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Gloria called, and asked if she could come over so we could do some homework together. That was fine with me.

Gloria showed up five minutes later. She was also wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Underneath Gloria's shorts, I could see the bulge made by her diapers and plastic pants. I didn't say anything about Gloria wearing diapers. She'd worn them all her life, just as I had. Seeing her diapered was the most natural thing in the world to me. Gloria didn't mention her diapers, either. Together, we got through our first night's homework in what seemed like no time at all. While we were halfway through our math problems, Gloria pooped in her diaper.

"Oops!" she said with a kind of half grin. "I wasn't paying attention and didn't know I was gonna do that. Do you suppose your mom would mind if I didn't ask to get my diaper changed until we finished these problems?" Gloria grunted a little as she pushed the last of the poop out into her diaper. I'm sure glad I didn't poop my pants in school!"

"I don't think she'd mind at all, Gloria," I answered. "As far as I know, the deal our moms made with us last summer still holds." (The deal had suspended the rule that required Gloria and me to let someone know as soon as our diapers needed changing. If we didn't do that, we'd be checked more regularly to see if we needed changing. Around the house we wouldn't wear anything over our plastic pants for a while to make diaper checking easier.)

"Oh, that's right," Gloria said. "Good. Let's finish our homework." It's amazing how you can get used to just about any smell and not let it keep you from doing what you need to do.

We finished our math, spelling, and history homework. We didn't have anything for English or geography. While Gloria went to find my mom and ask her for a diaper change, I went into the kitchen, found a bag of potato chips, and took them back to my bedroom. Gloria was back in just a few minutes, clean and dry, with a smile on her face.

"Your mom just took these diapers out of the dryer," Gloria said. "Warm diapers always feel so nice!"

"I won't argue with you there," I said.

"Not too many of those potato chips, Teddy!" Mom warned. "We'll be having dinner soon and I don't want you to ruin your appetite. Want to stay and eat with us, Gloria? Patty's eating at your house with Andy and Chuck. We'd love to have you eat here."

"Thanks, Aunt Meghan!" Gloria said. "I'd love to stay."

"Great! Would you and Teddy please set the table?"

"Sure," we both said together. Susan, at 7, hadn't learned to set the table yet. But she could help clear away dishes after we ate. Gloria and I could do that, too, and we also could help dry dishes after they were washed. We didn't have a dishwasher.

Dinner tonight was spaghetti and meatballs, with a salad. Mom's cooking was as good as always. Susan grumbled about having to eat salad. The only thing green Susan enjoyed eating was jello. Mom and Dad asked all three of us how our first day at school had gone. Gloria and I had to wait to tell our story until after Susan had given a minute by minute description of the entire day. Dad remembered his first day in fourth grade as Gloria and I shared the day's experiences.

"I was a year ahead of Bridget in school," he recalled. "Both of us wore diapers that year. We were the only two in the whole school. Of course, school was a lot smaller then. There weren't any plastic pants, either. Ours were made of rubber, and they smelled funny. They also ripped pretty easily, and your grandma didn't like it when we got careless and tore our rubber pants while we were playing."

"How long did you have to wear diapers to school, Dad?" I asked.

"Until I finished seventh grade," Dad said.

"And my mom?" Gloria asked.

"Let's see, Bridget stopped wearing diapers to school the same year I did, so she must have been in sixth grade. Both of us still had accidents, though, and I even thought about wearing diapers to school again because I was wet so often, and even had poop accidents now and then."

"Was it awful, Dad?" I asked.

"Not once I learned to fight," Dad said with a sort of smile. "After I gave one kid a bloody nose because he made fun of the fact that I wore diapers, there was a lot less teasing. After the third fight, it stopped entirely."

"When was that? How old were you?" I asked.

"There wasn't any teasing in kindergarten or first grade," Dad said. "I guess it started happening in second grade, and that's when I learned to fight. By the time second grade was over there was no more teasing. And no one dared tease Bridget, either."

"Did you have anything like JustInTime pants?" Gloria asked.

"No, no one had thought of those," Dad said. "We wore diapers and rubber pants. We didn't know there was anything else."

After dinner, I walked home with Gloria. Mom and Susan were busy covering Susan's school books. Mom said she'd also cover mine. I thanked her.

"Mom never told me she wore diapers until she was finished with sixth grade," Gloria said. "If I'd known she did, I probably wouldn't have tried to go without them now."

"Maybe that's why she didn't tell you," I said. "After all, she keeps saying she wants you to make your own decisions."

"Yeah, she does say that," Gloria acknowledged. "This is the biggest decision I've ever made in my life, and I'm still not sure it's the right one."

"I don't know, either, Gloria." I said. "I don't think anyone would really mind if you went back to wearing diapers."

"Well, I'm a lot more comfortable now than I was all day," Gloria said, "even though the diaper I'm wearing is pretty wet. But I'm not sure I want to give up trying to stay dry at school after one day."

"You know what's best for you, Gloria," I said.

We were at Gloria's house. We said goodnight and I walked home. The sun had set and soon it would be dark. Summer was over. I was in fourth grade now, growing up.

But I also wore diapers and wet and pooped in them like a baby. That bothered me sometimes. Other times I really liked not having to bother with a toilet when I had to pee or poop. Besides, most of the time I didn't even know when I'd have to pee or poop until it was too late. I'd made my choice to be in diapers all the time, at least for now, and not make any effort to use the toilet. At the moment, I was really glad I'd made that choice. My diaper was soaked, and, for the second time that day, I was "carrying cargo." I had felt a sudden cramp and then the poop just came out into my diaper. As was the case most of the time, there was nothing to do to hold it back. Just before I reached my house, I stopped for a second and pushed out the rest of the load.

I saw Patty as soon as I walked in the door. Mom was busy covering school books with Susan. I looked at Patty and she nodded her head, meaning "sure I'll change your diaper." She took off the messy diaper and cleaned me up a little, waited while I took a shower, then she diapered me nice and snug for the night.

I read in bed for a little while before I fell asleep. The first day of fourth grade had gone very well, I thought. I looked forward to tomorrow.

[the diaper mike]

good

[Tinkles123]

The Family Babies – Chapter 19 – A Tough Night And A Promising Morning

I woke up suddenly at 3:00 A.M. I know it was 3:00 A.M. because the clock on the table next to my bed had a dial that glowed in the dark. Remember those? Stomach cramps woke me up. Even before my eyes were open, I felt my diaper filling with warm, wet diarrhea. Gross! Thank God none of it leaked out onto my bed sheets! I knew I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep until I got cleaned up.

Although I didn’t really want to wake them, I had no choice but to knock on my parents’ bedroom door. (None of us kids ever just walked in on Mom and Dad. Nor did they ever just walk in on any of us. Respect for privacy was a big deal in our family.) I had to knock three times before Dad said, in a groggy voice “Come in.” It didn’t take Dad long to figure out what my problem was. The smell coming from my diaper was awful.

“Come on, Teddy,” Dad said, sympathetically, “let’s get you cleaned up.”

Dad motioned toward the bathroom door. He knew this was too big a mess for a normal diaper change. Dad lifted me up and stood me in the bathtub. Then, very carefully, he pulled down my plastic pants – some of the mess had leaked into them – and unfastened my diapers. (You might remember that I wore three diapers folded together at night. With that combination, there weren’t too many mornings when my sheets were wet.) In addition to the smell of the diarrhea, there was also that strong ammonia smell that greeted whoever changed my night diaper every morning. Perhaps you remember it?

Dad rinsed the diapers and plastic pants in the toilet, then put them in the diaper pail. Our tub had a shower attached to a hose, and dad used that to clean me up thoroughly. I saw that I was peeing as Dad was washing me up. I often did that. Usually, I didn’t even feel it. Dad didn’t say anything about it. Something about warm water makes some people pee, I guess. When I was clean, Dad dried me off and gave me a big dose of Pepto-Bismol.

“This will help calm your stomach, and maybe stop the diarrhea,” Dad said. “Now let’s get you diapered up and back to bed.”

Dad diapered me in my bedroom, where all my diapers, plastic pants, and changing supplies were stored in drawers under my changing table. I was short for my age, but the changing table was getting small for me. Dad used a little more lotion than usual to protect my skin in case I had another episode of diarrhea. While he was diapering me, I noticed Dad’s plastic pants and saw that his diapers were wet. Dad had always had wetting problems, and never went to sleep without diapers and plastic pants. He’d never been self-conscious about being diapered in front of any of us kids. Diapers were just a fact of life for Dad, as they were for me. He could stay dry during the day, so long as he was near a toilet, and rarely pooped in his diapers anymore, but Dad was still a bedwetter.

It felt good to be clean and dry. I thanked Dad, and got back into bed. Dad took my temperature (it was normal) and asked me how I was feeling (I was fine.) Neither of us could think of a reason why I’d had diarrhea. Sometimes it just happens.

“Let’s see how you feel in the morning,” Dad said. “Maybe you should stay home from school.”

“No, Dad, please!” I answered. “It’s only the second day. I REALLY don’t want to miss a day so early. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Hmm…” Dad said, “at your age I would have jumped at an excuse to stay home from school! Try to get some sleep, Teddy. If you’re feeling okay in the morning, you can go to school. Good night, Son.”

“Good night, Dad,” I answered. “Thanks for cleaning me up.”

“No problem, Teddy,” Dad smiled a little, “I’m sure it bothered you more than it did me!” He put the light out and closed my bedroom door.

I passed a little gas as I relaxed and began to fall asleep again. But I didn’t feel any more stomach cramps. Soon I was sound asleep again.

My alarm clock woke me at 7:00, as it always did on school mornings. Most mornings, I was already pretty much awake when the alarm went off, but not today. I guess because my sleep had been interrupted, I was deeper asleep than usual. I reached out my hand, as I always did, to shut off the alarm. Because I was so groggy, I had to grope around a little before I found the clock. I was tempted to close my eyes again after I shut the alarm off, but instead I sat up. I didn’t want to miss school on the second day. As I sat up, I could feel that I was “carrying cargo” again. I had pooped after falling back to sleep. I hoped it wasn’t diarrhea.

Mom knocked on my bedroom door. “Good morning, Teddy,” she said, “I heard you had a tough night. Feeling better this morning?

“I feel fine, Mom, honest!” I said, probably with a little too much enthusiasm. “I’m carrying cargo again, but I don’t think it’s diarrhea.”

“Did you poop while you were asleep, or after you woke up?” Mom asked.

“While I was asleep.”

“Do you feel any cramps, or does your stomach feel funny?”

“No, Mom.”

My diapers were wet and messy, but it wasn’t diarrhea. I was grateful. Just to be sure, Mom gave me another dose of Pepto-Bismol and told me to call her after I’d taken my shower so she could diaper me for school. I was drying myself off when Susan knocked on the bathroom door.

“Hurry up, Teddy, I have to pee really bad!” Susan said. She’d just gotten out of bed and hadn’t been to the bathroom yet.

“Hang on, Susan,” I said, and wrapped a towel around myself. I opened the bathroom door and Susan rushed in and pulled her pajama bottoms down even before I was out of the room. There was no time for modesty right then! As I closed the bathroom door, I heard the tinkling as she peed in the toilet. As I’d been often, lately, I was glad I didn’t have to worry about getting to a toilet in a hurry when I had to pee or poop. Part of me wanted to be like other kids. But I think a bigger part of me was grateful I could just let the diapers take care of everything and not have to worry.

After Mom diapered me, I got dressed and had shredded wheat for breakfast, along with a glass of orange juice. Patty had already left for the school bus. I put my newly covered school books into my book bag, promised Mom I’d go right to Nurse Richardson’s office if I felt at all sick, and opened the door to leave. As I was leaving, Susan was just coming in to the kitchen for breakfast.

“Looks like we’re going to have to get you up a little earlier, Susan,” Mom said, “and that means you’ll need to go to bed earlier at night.”

“Awww, Mom!” Susan protested. “Don’t worry so much! It’s only 8:00. I’ll get to school in plenty of time!”

“I don’t like to see you gobbling your breakfast and then running to school,” Mom said.

“Bye, Mom, Bye Susan,” I said, and closed the door behind me. I didn’t need to hear any more of THAT discussion.

Gloria met me at the corner, and we walked to school together. “I had a tough night last night, Gloria said. Diarrhea.”

“You, too? That’s really strange. Same thing happened to me. Are you okay now?”

“I feel okay, but I’m worried about having to poop again and not being able to hold it.”

“I was carrying cargo again this morning after Dad changed me in the middle of the night,” I said.

“My diaper was only wet this morning, but I did poop in the toilet,” Gloria said.

“You’re not wearing diapers this morning, are you?” I asked.

“No, but I have an extra pair of JustInTime pants in my book bag just in case I need them, and I sure hope I don’t.

We saw Linda’s mother drive up as we arrived at the school yard. Mrs. Casey unloaded Linda’s wheel chair from the trunk, and expertly lifted Linda into it.

“Good morning, Gloria, Good morning, Teddy!” both Linda and her mother said.

“Good morning!” Gloria and I answered, nearly together.

“I’ll see you after school and drive you all to Gloria’s house,” Mrs. Casey said. She’d given permission for Linda to go to Gloria’s for a while after school.

“Great!” Gloria said. “We’ll see you right after school.”

[the diaper mike]

good

[Tinkles123]

The Family Babies – Chapter 20 – Baby Doug

I had hung my book bag on the back of Linda’s chair and was already pushing her toward the ramp that had been built at the side door to the school.

Doug walked up just then. He didn’t look very happy. Gloria and I said hello to him, and introduced him to Linda.

“How are you doing?” I asked Doug.

“Not so good,” Doug answered. “Dad’s back in the hospital and I’m scared he’s going to die. Mom’s with him most of the time. Grandma’s taking good care of me, though. Last night, she held me in her lap in the rocking chair for a while, and let me drink a bottle. That helped me feel better.”

“A baby bottle?” I asked, not quite believing what Doug had just said.

“Yeah,” Doug admitted. “I’ve been doing that some lately. Grandma doesn’t mind. I tell her it makes me feel safe, and she lets me. She even burps me when I’m finished drinking the bottle,” Doug said, “That always feels good. And this morning, I asked her if she’d feed me my cereal. So she put a bib on me and fed me with a spoon. It was nice.”

I didn’t know what to say. Neither did Gloria or Linda. Doug and I had been friends since the first day of kindergarten, when both of us had to be cleaned up in the nurse’s office after having accidents. Doug didn’t need diapers like I did, but he liked wearing them so much that his mom and grandma let him wear them most of the time, especially since his dad became very sick. My dad had worked with Doug’s grandma to get him permission to wear diapers to school like I did. But because Doug wasn’t really incontinent, he was told he could wear diapers to school only if he went to special education. Doug had chosen to go to special education so he could continue to wear diapers. Being able to wear diapers meant more to him than being in class with his friends.

“How’s your new class?” I asked, finally.

“It’s okay, I guess.” Doug said. “About half of us wear diapers, and that’s kind of good. None of the other kids can do the same work I can do, though, so I have special lessons just for me. The teacher said it’s fourth grade stuff, and that, if I ever decide I’ve had enough of wearing diapers, I can go back to fourth grade with the rest of you.”

“Are you thinking about doing that?” I asked Doug.

“Nuh uh!” Doug shook his head vigorously. “I don’t think I’ll EVER stop wanting to wear diapers! Special education’s not so bad. There’s about twenty of us there, along with the teacher and two teacher’s aides. Like I said, about half of us wear diapers, and one of the aides is busy most of the time checking our diapers and changing us. “

“You get your diapers checked right in the classroom?” Linda asked?

“No, there’s a little room with a changing table where she takes us one at a time,” Doug answered. “We get our diapers checked once in the middle of the morning, again before lunch, then in the middle of the afternoon, and finally just before we go home. The potty trained kids go to the bathroom when the rest of us have our diapers checked and get changed.”

“Doesn’t the teacher want you to ask when you need to have your diaper changed?” Gloria asked.

“I suppose I could ask,” Doug answered, “but it’s easier to just wait until the teacher’s aide checks my diaper. Yesterday morning I had to poop, so I got up and went over to a corner of the room. When I’m home, I usually either do that or go into my bedroom when I have to poop. Grandma says I make funny faces when I’m pooping. Anyway, the teacher asked me what I was doing, and I said I was pooping in my diaper. I guess that surprised her, because she didn’t tell me to stop or anything. When I was finished pooping, I went back to my seat and waited to have my diaper checked. I hadn’t even sat down when the teacher’s aide said ‘come with me, please, Douglas.’ I guess she wanted to change my diaper before I sat down and smeared the poop all over me.”

“Are you usually wet when they check your diaper?” I asked.

“Most of the time, I am,” Doug said, “but yesterday afternoon I forgot to wet my diaper after lunch. When the teacher’s aide called me to check my diaper, I realized I had to pee real bad, so I soaked my diaper and made a puddle in my plastic pants. It was kind of neat, really. Before she could change my diaper, the teacher’s aide had to soak up the puddle of pee with toilet paper. She said she wished I’d told her I had to pee and asked to use the toilet. I started to cry and told her I couldn’t use the toilet because I was afraid, and she didn’t say anything else.”

“So, uh, Doug, it sounds like you want to be a baby again,” I said, a little cautiously.

“Yeah, I kind of do,” Doug admitted. Babies don’t have any problems. They don’t have to worry about anything. They get lots of hugs, get their diapers changed without even having to ask, get fed and cleaned up – when you think about it, why wouldn’t EVERYBODY want to be a baby?”

“If everyone were a baby, Doug, there wouldn’t be anyone to take care of all those babies!” Gloria said.

“Well, I think Grandma likes taking care of me like a baby,” Doug said, a little defensively. “I think I’m going to ask her if I could be a baby all the time, sleep in my old crib like I used to, and talk like I was less than two years old.”

“Some kids can’t talk at all before they’re two,” Linda said.

“Maybe I won’t either,” Doug answered.

“How will you let your Grandma know what you need?” Linda asked.

“Like all babies do,” Doug said. “I’ll cry, and let her figure out what’s wrong. Hey, I’ll see you guys.” Doug headed off toward the special education room.

Linda, Gloria, and I looked at each other. Finally Linda spoke again. “Sometimes, when I’m feeling sick, I like to be babied just a little,” she admitted, “but it’s not something I’d want to do all the time. Growing up is too much fun.”

“I kind of feel sorry for Doug,” Gloria said. “He’s got lots of problems, but I don’t see how being a baby again is going to make them go away.

“Neither do I,” I said. “But I still want to be Doug’s friend if he’ll let me, even if he does want to be a baby again.”

“So do I,” Gloria said.

“Me, too, even though I don’t know him very well,” Linda added.

We had arrived at our fourth grade classroom. It was time for our second day of school to begin.

[the diaper mike]

go on

[Baby D]

Yes, write more! This is a really good story and I am enjoying reading it!

[Legls]

3 pages, not a very long story and yet so much great content!!

Keep it up I wait on in anticiapaion even the I'm not AB/DL I do enjoy a good read that's more realistic like your story and The Last straw they are all good.

p.s. Chekc out my freewebs (NO AB/DL STUFF THERE) freewebs.com/cvb666 don't post anything AB/DL. It's my little secret

[Tinkles123]

The latest chapter of "The Family Babies" follows this message. I've been really busy lately and haven't had a lot of time to write. I always appreciate comments. What, if anything, do you like about the story? Are the characters at all believable? Is there any resemblance at all between the events and characters in this story and events and characters in your life?

The Family Babies – Chapter 21 – Like Another Cousin

It didn’t take long before Linda, Gloria, and I were visiting each other’s homes a few times every week. Getting Linda and her wheel chair in and out of Gloria’s house and mine didn’t prove to be much of a problem. Linda’s mom and dad and our parents became friendly, too. It felt like we’d gained a new aunt, uncle, and cousin.

Linda had been born with a disability that kept her from walking, except with the help of crutches and leg braces. Her disability also kept Linda from having much control over her bladder or bowels. Linda had never used a toilet. She’d probably need to wear diapers all her life. She knew that, and sometimes it bothered her. Most of the time, though, it was no big deal. Linda and her parents even made jokes about it.

More than once, when Linda had pooped in her diaper, her mother noticed and asked if she needed her diaper changed. Linda said “No, Mom, why would you ask?”

“Can’t you smell it, Linda? Your diaper’s definitely poopy!” Linda’s mom answered. Linda sniffed the air.

“Hmm… I suppose you’re right, Mom, but I gotta tell ya, if there’s poop in my diaper, someone else put it there!” Linda would say. Then she’d giggle. So would her mother, and then Linda would have her diaper changed.

Since she’d been a toddler, Linda’s parents had done all they could to help Linda focus on what she could do rather than what she couldn’t do. Linda had learned to read before she had started kindergarten, just like Gloria and I had. She had learned to swim, even though her legs didn’t work very well, and she was taking guitar lessons.

Gloria and I were glad Linda’s family had moved to our town. Linda was, too. “I’ve always had friends, but none like you guys before,” Linda told us. We knew what she meant. None of the friends she had where she lived before needed to wear diapers.

Gloria was still struggling with trying to stay clean and dry in school, and not doing too well at it. She went to the bathroom a lot more than the other kids, but she never seemed to stay dry all day. Gloria’s “JustInTime” pants (thick training pants sewn into plastic pants) almost always kept her clothes dry, but she still had leaks once in a while. And she’d pooped her pants in school a few times, too. Never in the classroom, though, and she was very glad that hadn’t happened.

Because she was out of class so often going to the bathroom, Gloria was starting to have trouble keeping up in class. It was bothering her that she wasn’t doing as well as Linda and I, but she didn’t want to admit defeat and start wearing diapers to school again.

After school, though, Gloria could hardly wait to get out of her wet “JustInTime” pants and into her diapers and plastic pants. She was diapered from the minute she got home – or to my house or Linda’s – until it was time for school the next morning. She’d stay in diapers all weekend, too. After a few weeks, she’d stopped wearing “JustInTime” pants to Sunday School. Too much trouble, she said. Besides, she hated having to leave the room to go to the bathroom at least once during every class, and sometimes twice.

Linda and I pretty much followed a pretty simple routine. Unless one of us pooped, or was so wet our diapers were close to leaking, we waited until recess to have our diapers changed by the school nurse. Sometimes we’d need a diaper change at lunch, but sometimes not until afternoon recess. We usually wouldn’t need another diaper change after that one until we were home from school. Linda was as comfortable having her diapers changed by my mom, Gloria’s mom, or my sister Patty as I was having mine changed by her mom.

Really, Linda and I didn’t think about diapers all that much anymore. Every once in a while one of us would poop during class, and we knew enough to leave the room before anyone had a chance to say anything about the smell. We weren’t teased much, and the little teasing we did get was good natured enough. Wearing diapers wasn’t much of a problem for either of us.

Not wearing diapers to school was getting to be more of a problem for Gloria, though. Gloria had started talking to Linda and me about it more often. I remember one afternoon when all three of us were at Gloria’s house.

“More and more I envy you two,” Gloria said. “You hardly ever have to leave class to get your diapers changed, you get to pay attention without worrying about whether you’re going to pee or poop, and now you’re the two smartest kids in class. I can’t keep up with you anymore.”

“That’s not true, Gloria,” Linda said. “When we’re doing our homework together, you sometimes get the answers to the math problems before Teddy or I do. And you never get any of the spelling words wrong when we practice. It’s only in school that you make mistakes, and that’s because you’re always worried about wetting your pants. And you know what I think about that!”

Linda was getting a little tired of hearing about Gloria’s struggle to stay dry. She couldn’t see any reason why Gloria didn’t just wear diapers all the time and not care what anyone thought about it.

“Yes, I know what you think about that, Linda,” Gloria said. “But it’s different for me than it is for you.”

“How is it different?” Linda asked. “Is it different because I’m always going to have to wear diapers?”

“Well, yes, that IS how it’s different.” Gloria looked a little embarrassed. “There’s no point in your trying to stay dry, because you can’t.”

“From what I’ve seen, Gloria, you can’t either.” Linda could be blunt. “How often have your pants been dry when you came home after school?”

“Okay, not very often,” Gloria admitted.

“Never, you mean,” Linda came back quickly. “You’re always wet by the time the school day is over.”

“Okay so I’m wet,” Gloria said. “So what?”

“So, instead of making such a big deal about it, just wear diapers like you do everywhere else but school and quit worrying!”

Gloria started to cry. “I wanted to make it work,” she said. “But it’s not working at all, and I’m miserable. What do you think I should do, Teddy?”

Gloria was sniffling. Linda wheeled over next to her, handed Gloria a Kleenex and put her arm around her.

“I mean it, Teddy! What do you think? I want to know!”

Last summer, I had decided to try to get permission to wear diapers to school and Gloria had decided to work harder at staying dry instead. Both Gloria and I were disappointed in the other’s decision, but both of us had always said “you have to decide for yourself” when the discussion of wearing diapers to school came up. That’s the way we did things in our family. Gloria had spent half the summer hoping I’d decide to work harder at staying dry, while I was hoping she’d decide to join me in trying to get permission to wear diapers to school.

“Gloria, you know you have to decide for yourself!” I said, sticking to the family rule.

“No!” Gloria was practically screaming. “I know I have to decide for myself, but I want to know what you think! What would you do if you were me?”

I sighed. “I’m not you, Gloria, so I can’t really know what it’s like for you. Maybe it’s different for girls. But you know the decision I made, and I’ve been really happy with it. You haven’t been nearly as happy with the decision you made. I think if I were you I’d ask for permission to wear diapers to school.”

Gloria nodded, tears running down her face, still sniffling. “I tried SO hard!” she cried.

“We both know you tried hard,” Linda said, trying to comfort Gloria. “You ought to get a medal for that. But it just isn’t working. Remember, Gloria, your mother wore diapers to school until she finished sixth grade.”

That was true. Both Gloria’s mom and my dad had grown up with wetting and pooping problems much like Gloria’s and mine.

Gloria stood up then, saying “I need to go wash my face. It must be all red.”

“Uh, Gloria?” I said. “Maybe you should ask your mother to change your diaper while you’re at it. There’s a big wet spot on the back of your shorts.”

“I didn’t even know I was wetting,” Gloria admitted. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

“I didn’t want to upset Gloria,” Linda said, after Gloria had left the room, “but I felt like I had to say what I said. Maybe I had no business speaking up like that.”

“I’m glad you came out and said it, Linda,” I said. “I’ve wanted to say what you said for a long time. In our family, though, we have a rule about not telling others what to do. Sometimes I think that rule needs to be broken.”

“I guess I just broke it,” Linda said. “But I’m not part of your family, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, you’re part of our family, all right, Linda,” I said. “Gloria’s brothers and my sisters already think of you as another cousin.”

Linda smiled, and blushed a little. “Really, Teddy?” she asked. “Wow, that makes me happy!”

Maybe it was because she was so happy, but Linda pooped her diaper right then. “Oh, man, that’s a really stinky one!” she exclaimed.

“I’m sure Gloria’s mom can make you smell good again,” I said, steering Linda’s chair toward the bedroom door. “And while she’s at it, she can change my diaper, too. It’s really soaked.

[Legls]

Another great and glorious chapter to add to the... greatness?? Anyways keep up the good work!