Mika Goes To The Zoo

[Sophie ♥]

Just a quick one-shot commission!  It was nice to write such a sweet story.  I would absolutely write more of this character in other situations if we get commissioned again! 

Premise: Mika is an eleven year old girl with a much more infantile interest.  Though her parents try to be supportive, her aunt is less than subtle.

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Mika Goes To The Zoo
By: Sophie & Pudding

"Why do we have to visit Aunt Ellen anyway?"

"Stop fussing," my mother told me as she sat the fresh diaper under my bottom and sprinkled powder between my legs.

"I didn't need to be changed," I said for the third time.

"Don't start, Mika.  You were soaked.  And I want you to make a good impression on  your aunt this time."

"What do my diapers have to do with a good impression?"

"Mika, I mean it."

I pouted and crossed my arms as my mother finished diapering me in the back seat of our SUV.  We were only ten minutes out from Aunt Ellen's house.

"You know we don't mind you making your own decisions, and we will always be supportive of you. But you have to act your age sometimes and know that while you can make your own choices, there can be consequences too. Like your Aunt saying nasty things.” Diaper changes were a part of life in the Greene household - ever since Mika had turned seven and realized nobody had asked her opinion or permission to potty train her some years prior. Mika was a remarkably precocious young girl.

"I do act my age," I said sourly and flattened my skirt down over my diaper.  I was eleven - I acted eleven.  So what if I wore diapers?  I liked them!  They were comfortable and convenient and I didn't care what anybody thought.  And after wearing them for four years, my interest had become... something of a need.  Even if I wanted to wear underwear, I'd probably have to potty train all over again.  I blushed at the thought and sunk down in my seat.  Whatever.  I didn't even want to potty train...

"Well, if you're acting your age then you understand that Aunt Ellen can be a stickler for rules in her house. So be good. Did you want to get some McDonald's drive thru before we get there?" She was, after all, an eleven year old girl.  At least some of her interests were age appropriate.

"Yes please!" Dad ordered me some chicken nuggets and french fries and I'd eaten all of them before we pulled into Aunt Ellen's driveway.  Her house was a lot bigger than ours - it had two floors and a full basement.  I wasn't looking forward to this... my aunt wasn't as understanding or supportive as Mom and Dad.

"Well look who the cat dragged in," Ellen smiled, little crinkles on the edges of her eyes coming together to make her look a lot more kindly than she was. "Come on in, you must be exhausted from the drive.  And look at you, Mika, you must get bigger every time I see you - or I need new glasses!"

"Hi Aunt Ellen," I said quietly, like I had rehearsed it in the car, and gave her a hug when she prompted for one.  Ellen looked a lot like my mom, but with different hair and a little bit older.  They were sisters, after all.

"Make sure to take off your shoes," she told me, like I had forgotten after last year.  I kicked my shoes off by the door and my parents did the same.

"Now, I'm sure you're past your phase from last year, so I didn't put the rubber sheets on the bed," Ellen began, as she led the family up the stairs to the guest area of her house, not at all offering to help with cases or anything. Aunt Ellen wasn't a rude woman by any means, but she placed great value on accommodating as is own contribution to family. "Martha, you and Edwin will be in here, and Mika, your room is through here - I've redecorated since last year."

I gave mom a sideways look, pouting a little, but she gave me a stern one right back.  Be good, I remembered.  Whatever.

"Thank you Aunt Ellen," I said as she left me at my room.  It was very different to last year - the plain boring colors had a colorful pop to them.  The new quilts had frills and the bed was replaced with a daybed.  If I were any taller, I probably wouldn't have fit.  But it was only for the weekend.  I started to unpack my suitcase, stocking the diapers in the top drawer of my dresser.

"I was thinking that we would go to the zoo this afternoon if you're feeling up to it," Mika's Aunt prompted, but upon walking into the room mid conversation, she saw what was being put into the drawer and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Mika, darling, you're eleven years old. I do hope that wasn't what it looked like."

"It doesn't matter how old I am," I pouted, closing the drawer and unpacking my sundresses next.  I wasn't even here ten minutes and we were already talking about my underclothes!  It wasn't her business!

"Well, I'm sure that your parents may think so, but you're almost an adult now, Mika - a teenager in a few years.  Do you want boys knowing you're still wetting the bed?" 'Wetting the bed' was Aunt Ellen’s parlance for 'voluntarily staying un-potty-trained' because bedwetting was at least something she could wrap her head around. "Let's not bicker, pick out something cute, and we'll see about that zoo trip."

I didn’t care what boys thought.  A lot of kids at school knew I wore diapers, though I wish they hadn’t.  Crinkling underpants aren’t exactly easy to hide, after all.  And I had to take daily trips to the nurse’s office to get changed.  I’d just started middle school and my life was only getting harder…

But it made me happy!  Even if kids teased me and Aunt Ellen didn’t understand, it wasn’t anyone’s decision but mine!  So when my aunt offered to drop the conversation and go to the zoo instead… well, that sounded like a good plan to me.

The Lindenville Zoo was really cool.  They had polar bears and penguins and giraffes and everything.  I wanted to go last year but it was raining the whole weekend.  But as we climbed into Aunt Ellen’s little car - my mom sitting in the back with me - there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"Are we there yet?  How much longer?"

"We'll be there soon, darling, it's across town, remember?" Although how her mom expected her to remember that when she couldn't even remember to use the bathroom was really anybody's guess.

"Buckle up back there,” Aunt Ellie reminded as she turned down the street.

My excitement got the better of me and I felt the warm flow spread between my legs, soaking into the padding.  That feeling, that unexpected burst of heat... I blushed a little and smiled to myself.  Diapers were so nice.

"Let's try and have a good time at the zoo,” Mika’s dad said. “And no arguing.”

Obviously her Mom could tell when her daughter was wet just by sitting beside her, but Aunt Ellen was nowhere near as developed in her senses for these things. "Oh now don't be silly, what would we argue about? Maybe which animal to see first?"

"Penguins!" I said excitedly, and everyone agreed.  After getting through the front gates I went up to the map and looked for the penguin exhibit, but it was on the other side of the park.

"How about we see the lions, then?" my dad suggested.

"Uh huh, alright."

"See? She's much better when she's acting her age,” Ellen said in a whisper. “You really need to put your foot down occasionally and tell her no, Martha. Girls her age need boundaries and guidelines.  She needs a parent, not a friend."

Martha couldn't help but smile a little as she pretended to listen to her sister. "I just want her to be happy."

"Lions are a lot bigger than they look on TV." But all the lions were lying down and not really doing anything.  At least on TV they run around and attack things.  This was sort of boring...

"Can we look at something else now?  What about the giraffes?  Those are just around the corner."

“Do you need to be changed, sweetheart?” her Mom asked, and Aunt Ellen went wide eyed at the implication. “It’s warm out, and I don’t want you to get a rash.” Ellen shook her head and clucked her tongue disdainfully, sighing aggressively.

"I'm fine, Mom." I mean, I was wet, but I didn't mind.  And I didn't want to talk about it in front of Aunt Ellen.  So I hurried ahead to the giraffes. They were huge!  And they had little feeding machines too. "Dad, can I feed the giraffes?  Please?"

"I'll have to check the feeding times, princess, but you should ask your Mom about getting changed first." When he said it, warm fatherly tones, it was quiet and calm and out of earshot of Aunt Ellen. "Or are you not ready yet?"

I pouted and crossed my arms. "I'm really fine, I promise!" He gave me a pensive look and nodded his head before messing up my hair.  At least someone believed me.  

Ten minutes later, I got to feed the giraffes.  They had huge tongues and scooped the food right out of my hand!  It was so cool!  Then we went to the reptile house and I saw the snakes.  I was sort of afraid of snakes, but they weren’t so scary behind the glass.  After that, we saw the monkeys and the gorillas, which are not the same thing at all.  I learned that last year in science class.  

By the time we were on the other side of the zoo, at the penguins and the polar bears, my diaper was soaked and I had a slight waddle to my step.  But I was more concerned with the animals.

"Oh my gosh, penguins are so cute... could I get a pet penguin?"

"I don't think you're allowed to keep them as pets, hunny."

And at that, Aunt Ellen perked up. "If  you stop wearing diapers, and act more like a teenager, I'll buy you a penguin for Christmas."

"Ellen!” Martha shook her head and looked at her daughter to continue. "Auntie Ellen is joking honey. She'd never try to force you to change who you are."

I looked down at my feet and walked away from my family, leaning over the penguin exhibit. "Why can't she just leave me alone?" I muttered more to myself than the penguins. "Why does it matter to her what I wear?  Mom and Dad don't care..."

I shifted awkwardly in place, feeling the heavy sway of the diaper under my skirt.  My tummy rumbled uncomfortably and before I noticed, I started pushing the big mess into the seat of my diaper.  I bent over the railing to finish.

Here, in public, in the outdoors and surrounded by animal exhibits, it would be easy to conceal what she did. For a spell. Her Mom approached a few moments later and put her arm around her child and squeezed her close.

"I'm sorry about Aunt Ellen, she means well and she loves you, she's just... set in her ways. She never had kids, so she doesn't understand how we can let you make your own choices the way we do."

Mom wrapped her arm around me just as I finished filling the diaper and I let out a small sigh of contentment.  Relaxed.  Safe in my diapers.  I smiled up at my mom. "It's okay.  A lot of people don't like it - like kids at school and stuff.  I'm used to it." I put my arm around my mom and pushed my face into her shirt. "Thanks for letting me do what makes me happy.  You and Dad are the best."

"Yeah we are. And you..." She pressed her face to her daughter’s hair and laughed after breathing in, "are one smelly young lady. If you don't want to give your poor Aunt a conniption fit, we could probably excuse ourselves and go get you changed. What do you say, mm? For Aunt Ellen? Poor old gal, she can't make heads or tails of anything outside her circle."

I puffed out my cheeks and shook my head. "Nooo, Mom!  Please?  Can't it wait until we get home?" She gave me a serious look and I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. "Pleeeaaaase Momma...?  Juss until we get home...?"

"Not a chance, honey, you getting in the car with Auntie Ellen like that? Come on now." Her Mom leaned down and picked her up, holding her up against the crook of her elbow and kissing her forehead. "Be a big girl, okay? You make me so proud, and I know you wanna be a good girl for your Dad and me, right?"

I pouted and put my head on her shoulder as the mess squished against my bottom.  This wasn't fair... I wanted to stay in my diaper until we got home!  But if Aunt Ellen had to smell me in the car, she'd probably start yelling again...

"Fine," I muttered. "Just this once..."

"Just this once. Remember, changing your diaper doesn't change who you are.” Her Mom carried her up the path to the public bathrooms a little ways away from where her Dad and Aunt were talking. One day, her daughter might grown up, but that had to be own decision.

Mom put me down outside the family restroom and I shifted from foot to foot in the very wet and very messy diaper, trying to enjoy it for as long as I could.  But the next moment, Mom ushered me inside and turned on the light.  She locked the door behind us and picked me up under the arms, sitting me in my mess on top of the changing table.  I was a little too big, so my feet hung over the edges.  I hated changing tables, but bathroom floors were so gross.

"There we go, lay back, don't worry, Momma is here." Despite her daughter's disdain for being changed, she really did seem to enjoy the experience as a whole. Her legs being lifted up and held above her, the diaper being untaped, the feel of fresh air in her privates, it was all a very lovely experience. And when her mom would wipe her clean with the cooling wipes, doing her best to avoid her daughter getting another rash, it was a moment they could share. Mother and daughter. Precious and special. Even if that moment did involve an eleven year old girl being changed out of a diaper she voluntarily wet and messed.

I looked up at the ceiling as my mom drew the wipe along my skin, then balled up the stinky diaper and threw it in the trash can.  I was still sour that I had to change so soon, but... well, the feeling of a fresh dry diaper was nice too.  Mom hummed a soft song while she unfolded the diaper, lifting my legs by the ankles.

She set Mika’s bottom down, positioned her with well practiced precision into the right place on the diaper, and powdered her thoroughly before she began to tape her up. Maybe being a teenager would be what broke this tradition, her daughter courting boys or girls, not wanting to be embarrassed. For now, Martha saw no issue with what made Mika happy. She lifted her up off the table and set her down on her feet, pulling down her dress and patting her butt lightly. "There we go, you lil stinker, fresh and clean like a brand new baby girl."

"I'm not a baby," I said sternly.

"It's just a saying," Mom told me, kissing me on the forehead before leading me out of the bathroom with the diaper bag on her shoulder.  Dad and Aunt Ellen were waiting for me by the polar bears.

"Alright, how about we go get some lunch?"

"At Zoo prices? Absolutely not. We can eat when we leave."

"Now now, Ellen. That's awfully financially conscious for someone with penguin money. We're all hungry, come on."

Mika squeaked as her Dad plucked her up and dropped her onto his shoulders, legs on either side. "I hope they have elephant ears." He laughed.

Happiness came in a lot of forms.  Some people liked to play video games and some people liked to eat a lot of different foods.  For me, happiness was simple.  It was a trip to the zoo with my family.  Zoo.  Family.  Diapers.  What better happiness was there?

[End.]

[Angela Bauer]

What a charming story!

[Wannatripbaby]

That was pretty good. Normally I find the Parents who let their older child wear diapers because they want to trope to be cringy, but... okay it's still kinda cringy. But it's well written with interesting characters at least. All that I ever ask from a story is that it entertains me and this story definitely did that. 

[thedman]

That was a truly enjoyable read. I would love to see it go on, felt like it was over way too soon

[Sophie ♥]

2 hours ago, Wannatripbaby said:

Normally I find the Parents who let their older child wear diapers because they want to trope to be cringy

I totally agree.  It's not really my style.  But when we were asked to do a commission about it Puddin' and I were like "I bet we could do this pretty tastefully".  And we always love trying new things!  In the end, I'm really glad we took this project.  I'd love to write other stories like this, where Mika does other things with a casual interest in diapers.  I bet a school one would be pretty cool.  Like, school faculty think they know better than the parents. *nods* Oh, or a prequel story!

All in all, I like Mika's parents a lot.  I don't know how much freedom I would give my kid if I had one, but I think if I wholly trusted them and they were passionate about something like this, I'd be okay with it.  It's not like it hurts anything but social convention, and it makes her happy.  I think if more parents were in support of their child's wants over societal ideals, teens and young adults wouldn't have so many self-esteem problems.

[Wannatripbaby]

8 minutes ago, Sophie ♥ said:

All in all, I like Mika's parents a lot.  I don't know how much freedom I would give my kid if I had one, but I think if I wholly trusted them and they were passionate about something like this, I'd be okay with it.  It's not like it hurts anything but social convention, and it makes her happy.  I think if more parents were in support of their child's wants over societal ideals, teens and young adults wouldn't have so many self-esteem problems.

I definitely wouldn't let my kid choose wear diapers full time! At least until they could afford to buy their own. But maybe when just chilling at home, or once they have their homework done, it would be a good way to bond with my child while also teaching responsibility.

[Sophie ♥]

5 hours ago, Wannatripbaby said:

I definitely wouldn't let my kid choose wear diapers full time! At least until they could afford to buy their own. But maybe when just chilling at home, or once they have their homework done, it would be a good way to bond with my child while also teaching responsibility.

This is a weirdly cute thing. XD

[Wannatripbaby]

5 minutes ago, Sophie ♥ said:

This is a weirdly cute thing. XD

[thedman]

I feel like I will let my kid do what she wants to do in life. If that is diapers that's fine but I ain't changing them. Also I'm giving a strong vote for a prequel set at school for this story

[Sophie ♥]

19 hours ago, thedman said:

I feel like I will let my kid do what she wants to do in life. If that is diapers that's fine but I ain't changing them. Also I'm giving a strong vote for a prequel set at school for this story

I don't have a kid so I can't say with certainty what I would do... but I think I agree with this.  There would be a cut off on when I would continue to change my child, especially before puberty. *nods* 

[Cute_Kitten]

The premise was tropey, but you and Pudding pulled it off well.    The strong characterization (though to be honest, the aunt felt a little less developed than the other characters, but that's to be expected in a work of a short length and she wasn't anywhere near as horrible as I was expecting, given we were sailing in tropey waters) and the realistic touches (such as the other kids at school picking/ teasing her about the diapers) gave this the realistic feel and logic that helped pulled the trope off.  And tropes can be fun.

[CDfm]

I thought this was great. I would love to see more of Mika. The question of allowing your child to wear diapers runs deeper than just your choice. While it was touched upon here, the social consequences are much greater than you would think. Kids can be very heartless when dealing with their peers. Just consider the number of suicides that are a result of bullying. If my children had come to me with this kind of request I think that would have weighed heavier than anything else such as cost. There are also health care issues to be considered. Wearing diapers by older people does increase the number and severity of UTI’s . I think I would let my Child experiment with them but it wouldn’t be a 24/7 kind of thing.  This was very much worth a like. Thanks for sharing it with us. 

[Sophie ♥]

7 hours ago, CDfm said:

I thought this was great. I would love to see more of Mika. The question of allowing your child to wear diapers runs deeper than just your choice. While it was touched upon here, the social consequences are much greater than you would think. Kids can be very heartless when dealing with their peers. Just consider the number of suicides that are a result of bullying. If my children had come to me with this kind of request I think that would have weighed heavier than anything else such as cost. There are also health care issues to be considered. Wearing diapers by older people does increase the number and severity of UTI’s . I think I would let my Child experiment with them but it wouldn’t be a 24/7 kind of thing.  This was very much worth a like. Thanks for sharing it with us. 

Very good points!  See, I would have to go into some serious research or something if my kid wanted to do this... but maybe part-time is a good middle ground.   All I can think is, if I showed interest in this stuff at a young age and was allowed to experiment without shame, I would be much less self-conscious about my little stuff now!

On 8/10/2018 at 6:07 PM, Cute_Kitten said:

The premise was tropey, but you and Pudding pulled it off well.    The strong characterization (though to be honest, the aunt felt a little less developed than the other characters, but that's to be expected in a work of a short length and she wasn't anywhere near as horrible as I was expecting, given we were sailing in tropey waters) and the realistic touches (such as the other kids at school picking/ teasing her about the diapers) gave this the realistic feel and logic that helped pulled the trope off.  And tropes can be fun.

Thanks for the kind words CK!  I agree, it was a tropey idea.  But at the same time, it was somehow something Pudding and I have never experimented with in writing? o_o  So it was actually new material for us, which is always fun! XD

[CDfm]

41 minutes ago, Sophie ♥ said:

Very good points!  See, I would have to go into some serious research or something if my kid wanted to do this... but maybe part-time is a good middle ground.   All I can think is, if I showed interest in this stuff at a young age and was allowed to experiment without shame, I would be much less self-conscious about my little stuff now!

Thanks for the kind words CK!  I agree, it was a tropey idea.  But at the same time, it was somehow something Pudding and I have never experimented with in writing? o_o  So it was actually new material for us, which is always fun! XD

I think everyone in this community would like to have the use of diapers more socially accepted. I use diapers out of need and have come to this particular community more out of a means of accepting my own needs rather than being a AB or DL. I discovered the AB/DL community by searching for a better incontinence product than the depends I was given and recommended to use. Once I found the lifestyle I kind of related in that there were people out there who used diapers and actually wanted to use them. I kind of thought that’s the attitude I needed to take. I needed to accept that I would be using a diaper and if there were people who actually enjoyed doing so that I needed to check it out. I started reading the stories and found many that I not only enjoyed because they were well written stories but the mention of diaper use made me sort of relax about my own use. There are so many stories I read that are so well done I would enjoy them even more without the diaper content.  But at the same time the diaper content helps me deal with my needs. I have been in diapers full time now for 18 years.  There was a period following a surgery where I had some control back but it didn’t last. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will be using diapers and I need to accept that fact. 

[Sophie ♥]

@CDfm - That's a super inspiring way to think about things!  I wish I could be that healthy when I self-analyze.  I'm very proud of you!  

[YourFNF]

This was really cute @Sophie ♥

[Sparkle Dust]

It was a cute story.  Not many zoo stories.
From my experience zoo bathrooms are a little gross.  Examples include built with moist sidewalk like floors with drains for hose cleaning, news reports of lack of changing tables complaints, always at least half full, and super humid.  
 

However it’s a shame that zoo arcs are so short.  I mean there are chances to kid out at gift shops, play on the occasional zoo playgrounds, and feed animals at the petting zones.