All My Mother's Rules (Ch. 70 & Epilogue - 2/13/24)

[MinnesotaWriter]

1 hour ago, Lost Little Neppy said:

Hm, judging by the fact that she needs a jacket and not a coat, it had to have been at least a month. February at the very earliest. Maybe March.

Man.

Not quite, depends on the part of the country. The story is set in New Mexico (Don't ask me why I picked that when I started writing over three years ago, but I did, for reasons long forgotten). So, the winter weather isn't as harsh as what we've had this past week in Minnesota (-30 wind chill) for example.

1 hour ago, JustaFoxGirl said:

A coat is just a longer jacket, so it's the same thing either way, really.

But yea, It's really awful for her.

The main thing I was trying to imply was that it wasn't spring/summer yet. But as it started at the beginning of January, that still gives Sarah a bit of time to be babied.

41 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

Thank you for finally bringing her rescuers into the picture. Unfortunately, the heartbreak for the girl is far from over. You wrote her character as having very realistic reactions to her rescuers and her lack of understanding of what's going on. Knowing some of the studies of people put in solitary confinement (she's not quite as bad, but similar), it might not take that long to devolve into this state. It didn't happen overnight going into either... 

Totally knew that underwear thing was not going to end well for anyone... 

Looking forward to the rest of the answers and hoping she gets the help she desperately deserves and needs. (And that they catch her mom before she gets away with her sister. If she saw it, I can almost guarantee she went straight to that school, picked her up, and left town... Hope the sheriff's officers are on the A-Game!)

Yes, it's nice to move on from writing about all the possible ways the mother could punish Sarah. My initial plan was to pick up with Sarah at the hospital, but decided to add this chapter to give a glimpse of what was happening right at the moment she was being rescued and demonstrate just how far she had regressed during her latest time being treated as a baby.

26 minutes ago, Night Rain said:

Will we get to see how the mom reacts to having the cops arrest her? I'm still waiting to see what the answers are for what Sarah's friends thought when she wasn't able to contact them.

We're going to stick to showing the story strictly from Sarah's perspective, so not likely to get a viewpoint directly into what happens to the Mom, though Sarah will no doubt be informed of it later.

11 minutes ago, spark said:

The scene where they tell them that nobody is going to make her diapers anymore was a tough one to read.  Her incontinence issues throughout the story were severe and getting worse.  She wasn't able to last an hour without peeing.  Now she has the psychological effect.  She might not even realize that her diaper needs to be changed anymore.

This is one time that I wish the full story was already published.  I have so many questions, and to be honest, most of them weren't answered in this chapter.

What did CPS know about Sarah's condition?   I wonder if the fact that Mom and Emilia had likely been seen, but nobody has seen Sarah since Christmas.    I think that would be enough of a red flag for a wellness check, and they might not have been prepared to see what they saw if they expected it to be a standard wellness check.

That would be nice if it was fully written by now as well. But alas, I think I have more to write than expected. I think I'm going to hit the over on the projected number of chapters left that I made a while back.

The sequel will be released all at once (provided that I finish it on time, and I'm making good progress)

4 minutes ago, JustaFoxGirl said:

She does know when she needs to be changed, but she's been conditioned to know she'll be changed when her mother gets to it. I agree fully that it was heartbreaking to see them think the diapers were entirely punishment, and seemingly have no idea she actually needs them. At least with her accident they'll likely allow her to wear them again for hygiene reasons.

As far as a wellness check, my understanding is they would knock and attempt to see her and confirm her condition. They can't legally enter a home without cause, and they apparently kicked the door in. That tells me they had cause, but they were also unaware of her babied status. I'm very interested in seeing what they were told and with what evidence to cause them to jump straight to breaking in to rescue her.

I think it is understandable that the diapers were viewed as a punishment, it certainly isn't expected that an otherwise healthy teenage girl would need them. And from their perspective, the CPS agents were being compassionate in they way they were trying to help Sarah realize it was OK to wear underwear again.

As for why the urgency for the wellness check. There is a reason for that. But that is coming in later chapters.

[JustaFoxGirl]

2 minutes ago, MinnesotaWriter said:

I think it is understandable that the diapers were viewed as a punishment, it certainly isn't expected that an otherwise healthy teenage girl would need them. And from their perspective, the CPS agents were being compassionate in they way they were trying to help Sarah realize it was OK to wear underwear again.

Oh I agree fully, they did what they thought was right. The heartbreak is mainly from Sarah being unable to explain it to them and us, the readers, knowing the whole story.

You write brilliantly.

[BabySofia]

22 minutes ago, spark said:

What did CPS know about Sarah's condition?   I wonder if the fact that Mom and Emilia had likely been seen, but nobody has seen Sarah since Christmas.    I think that would be enough of a red flag for a wellness check, and they might not have been prepared to see what they saw if they expected it to be a standard wellness check.

Truthfully, from the perspective of the sidelines afterward, there will be a lot of guilt about 'I should have known' from a lot of people. The signs were there, but they may only have put things together once you looked at the big picture... 

[spark]

41 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

Truthfully, from the perspective of the sidelines afterward, there will be a lot of guilt about 'I should have known' from a lot of people. The signs were there, but they may only have put things together once you looked at the big picture... 

I would be gutted if she was my student.  Her friends will be gutted.  The administrator who suspended Sarah and talked to Mom would be gutted.

[spark]

1 hour ago, MinnesotaWriter said:

Yes, it's nice to move on from writing about all the possible ways the mother could punish Sarah. My initial plan was to pick up with Sarah at the hospital, but decided to add this chapter to give a glimpse of what was happening right at the moment she was being rescued and demonstrate just how far she had regressed during her latest time being treated as a baby.

That scene is so realistic and I think  it was a nice element

1 hour ago, MinnesotaWriter said:

That would be nice if it was fully written by now as well. But alas, I think I have more to write than expected. I think I'm going to hit the over on the projected number of chapters left that I made a while back.

The sequel will be released all at once (provided that I finish it on time, and I'm making good progress)

I hope you realize what you've done.  Sarah's story started at a time when everybody needed a good story.   You wrote the entire Diapers Never Lie Story, and then made it a prequel.   As I recall, you first hiatus was right after Sarah was put in diapers the first time.   You had a short burst that stopped with her going to the story to buy Pull-ups because she was tired of her mom treating her like a baby every time she had two accidents on the same day.

At some point during that hiatus, I wanted to tell you that you didn't have to finish it, but at least let me know how it ends.  This poor girl has been a part of my life since Covid started.

[AdultInnocence]

20 hours ago, JustaFoxGirl said:

 Even though that's possible, I want to have hope that SOMEONE, like Lisa, Desi or Samantha wouldn't wait so long before realizing something is very wrong

Even if they did know something was wrong, legally they couldn't do anything and would have to tell someone in the system, then they have checks and balances.

20 hours ago, APhil said:

It could be winter again...

Especially since they said it was starting to get cold outside. Possibly fall when school would normally be starting again, which would mean she spent a school semester and summer break like that, which would explain why her thoughts are all jumbled and her mind hasn't fully kicked into high gear yet.

Once properly cleaned up again and protected, a good meal and some time out of the house will hopefully help her wake up mentally.

[AdultInnocence]

12 hours ago, MinnesotaWriter said:

We're going to stick to showing the story strictly from Sarah's perspective, so not likely to get a viewpoint directly into what happens to the Mom, though Sarah will no doubt be informed of it later.

Darn! Was hoping to have one chapter or part of one from Lisa's perspective if she does play into CPS getting involved. I do understand keeping everything in Sarah's perspective though.

You have had a very good writing style throughout the story. When this one is done the Sequel will be a pleasure to read.

[JustaFoxGirl]

48 minutes ago, AdultInnocence said:

Especially since they said it was starting to get cold outside. Possibly fall when school would normally be starting again, which would mean she spent a school semester and summer break like that, which would explain why her thoughts are all jumbled and her mind hasn't fully kicked into high gear yet.

Luckily we know that isn't the case since MW said it would be too cruel. It's entirely possible for a single winter to see drastic shifts in temperatures. I'm personally seeing it myself where I live lol.

[AdultInnocence]

Just now, JustaFoxGirl said:

Luckily we know that isn't the case since MW said it would be too cruel. It's entirely possible for a single winter to see drastic shifts in temperatures. I'm personally seeing it myself where I live lol.

Right? We have been in single digits at night and next week looking at 50s and 60s.

I missed that part in his replies, been a lot to keep up on outside of story and sometimes I can miss something right in front of me when looking. I swear things go invisible just to mess with us sometimes. It could possibly be spring just before summer which would be plausible as the school wouldn't have gotten in any results from testing. I am not exactly sure how homeschooling works but I think they have to do periodic reports?

MW must have had a lot of fun writing the chapters knowing we would all be speculating.

[JustaFoxGirl]

12 minutes ago, AdultInnocence said:

Right? We have been in single digits at night and next week looking at 50s and 60s.

I missed that part in his replies, been a lot to keep up on outside of story and sometimes I can miss something right in front of me when looking. I swear things go invisible just to mess with us sometimes. It could possibly be spring just before summer which would be plausible as the school wouldn't have gotten in any results from testing. I am not exactly sure how homeschooling works but I think they have to do periodic reports?

MW must have had a lot of fun writing the chapters knowing we would all be speculating.

It's okay, I've also missed other replies lol. I don't know how home schooling works though but I imagine you're right and they would need reports on progress.

 

But I still think someone, like one of her friends, would get worried before too long. Maybe the CPS investigation took some time.

[spark]

25 minutes ago, JustaFoxGirl said:

Luckily we know that isn't the case since MW said it would be too cruel. It's entirely possible for a single winter to see drastic shifts in temperatures. I'm personally seeing it myself where I live lol.

It's set in New Mexico and the west doesn't have the big swings in weather you get on the other side of the Rockies.  Even in January, it wouldn't be below-freezing in the afternoon in Santa Fe.  Given that the setting is New Mexico, the hint at the jacket doesn't give us much information.   Given Sarah's decline and how she was at her rescue, I've got to think my hope that it is near Valentine's Day is optimistic, but it could also be a cool day in April.

1 hour ago, AdultInnocence said:

Even if they did know something was wrong, legally they couldn't do anything and would have to tell someone in the system, then they have checks and balances.

The big question is: what did CPS know, and why did the police come inside the residence?  That also begs the question, how did they know something was up?

The big red flag that would cause concern for authorities is that nobody had seen Sarah after the mall incident, and her behavior at the mall was peculiar.   There hasn't been any mention of the mom registering Sarah for homeschooling, and at least in California, just telling the school that she is being homeschooled is not enough.  Sarah would also have to return her books, and her not being there would be unusual.  Combine that with Sarah having zero contact with the other three girls and that might cause concern that mom was hiding something.   I'm speculating that the police were searching to see if Sarah had been murdered.

I'll note that MW has not let me down on the realism front.  Sarah's mom's behavior is outside of the norm, but it stands up to my realism meter.  I think we will get a realistic conclusion to this story (PS- that's better than most of Hollywood).

[AdultInnocence]

8 minutes ago, JustaFoxGirl said:

It's okay, I've also missed other replies lol. I don't know how home schooling works though but I imagine you're right and they would need reports on progress.

 

But I still think someone, like one of her friends, would get worried before too long. Maybe the CPS investigation took some time.

That is what I am really hoping for, that Lisa realized something that day in the Mall, and with her saying she was grounded and lost everything, Lisa would be able to tell she was diapered wearing clothing she normally wouldn't with a diaper, and talk to her Uncle. Then it was just CPS having to be able to make a case. The information they were told may have been limited and not know about the current incontinence as it wasn't relevant. I can't wait to find out what the next chapters reveal.

Edit: Spark slipped a reply between

That is also a good point. Murdered or locked in a room like have been in articles.

[JustaFoxGirl]

4 hours ago, AdultInnocence said:

That is what I am really hoping for, that Lisa realized something that day in the Mall, and with her saying she was grounded and lost everything, Lisa would be able to tell she was diapered wearing clothing she normally wouldn't with a diaper, and talk to her Uncle. Then it was just CPS having to be able to make a case. The information they were told may have been limited and not know about the current incontinence as it wasn't relevant. I can't wait to find out what the next chapters reveal.

Same, Lisa is wise well beyond her years and I feel like she's going to be the one to pull Sarah out of her nightmare, and hopefully be there to help her recover along with Desi and Samantha.

[spark]

4 hours ago, AdultInnocence said:

Edit: Spark slipped a reply between

That is also a good point. Murdered or locked in a room like have been in articles.

We were posting at the same time and then I edited it while you posted.

If you read comments on Wattpad and this, you'll see the question of why CPS would bust a door down.  MW has posted this exclusively from Sarah's perspective, and we only see things through her eyes.  She was perceptive through most of the story, so we had an idea of the motives of the other characters, but she has none of that now and is completely confused.  It sucks because it means that we're confused as well.

I think the fact that this is written in Sarah's voice, and seems to be written from the perspective of somebody who is recovering from the trauma.  That gives me hope for her future.

[BabySofia]

5 hours ago, spark said:

Even in January, it wouldn't be below-freezing in the afternoon in Santa Fe. 

Uh... Santa Fe is at 7200 feet in elevation. Plenty of days that it's below freezing for the high there. Yes, sometimes there's a warmer winter where it's in the 50's for highs, but New Mexico is mostly higher elevations than a lot of people realize. The southern part of the state stays pretty warm, but central to northern New Mexico can have a true winter.

I had forgotten or didn't realize it was set in New Mexico...

 

[spark]

6 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

Uh... Santa Fe is at 7200 feet in elevation. Plenty of days that it's below freezing for the high there. Yes, sometimes there's a warmer winter where it's in the 50's for highs, but New Mexico is mostly higher elevations than a lot of people realize. The southern part of the state stays pretty warm, but central to northern New Mexico can have a true winter.

I had forgotten or didn't realize it was set in New Mexico...

 

I looked it up.  The average high in January is 41, which is why I used that.  I also didn't feel like spelling Albuquerque.   I think in Albuquerque a light jacket and a hoodie would be enough coverage in the afternoon unless it was extremely cold. and by mid-February that would be true in Santa Fe as well.

[BabySofia]

2 minutes ago, spark said:

I looked it up.  The average high in January is 41, which is why I used that.  I also didn't feel like spelling Albuquerque.   I think in Albuquerque a light jacket and a hoodie would be enough coverage in the afternoon unless it was extremely cold. and by mid-February that would be true in Santa Fe as well.

Over a 1k feet of elevation difference. There are days you can get by, but just depends on the winter. Albuquerque is generally warmer depending on where you are in the city. (East Mountains are a lot higher and are cooler/snowier)

Anyway, I'll stop hijacking the thread here. 🤣 

[spark]

9 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

Over a 1k feet of elevation difference. There are days you can get by, but just depends on the winter. Albuquerque is generally warmer depending on where you are in the city. (East Mountains are a lot higher and are cooler/snowier)

Anyway, I'll stop hijacking the thread here. 🤣 

I didn't learn that it was set in New Mexico until last night when MW replied to a comment.  I was picturing a place like Minnesota, or Iowa.  

[Night Rain]

I wonder if the CPS found the mom's christmas videos of Sarah.

[BabySofia]

16 minutes ago, Night Rain said:

I wonder if the CPS found the mom's christmas videos of Sarah.

I would expect that to be law enforcement called in. What they found was a crime scene behind their scope of investigation? I would suspect that at the moment they will be looking over everything and not leaving out any possible avenues of investigation.

[JustaFoxGirl]

45 minutes ago, Night Rain said:

I wonder if the CPS found the mom's christmas videos of Sarah.

Only if Sarah tells them about it later. I doubt her mother is going to return to the home so all the evidence will be there later.

[spark]

1 hour ago, JustaFoxGirl said:

Only if Sarah tells them about it later. I doubt her mother is going to return to the home so all the evidence will be there later.

I don't think that is that is true.  AFAIK, CPS has no legal jurisdiction, but they work closely with local with the local sheriff.  FTR- calling the local sheriff meets my mandated reported requirements.  The very second they confirmed that what happened, it became a crime scene.  That means, other than getting Sarah to a hospital, the scene stays sterile.  AFAIK, a detective will pull every source of data there is present to assist a DA.    They will find those tapes and use them.  Especially in a case like this, because presently Sarah isn't able to support the prosecution.  Those tapes, along with Amanda's recount is more than enough to warrant a grand jury charge. 

There is a section in this chapter where the 3rd voice says that they need to contact the sheriff, and I would expect a LEO would be present.  In fact, in most cases, the social worker wouldn't even open an unsecured door, but maybe Amanda is more protective (read Diapers Never Lie- might not be the same character, but maybe she is)

[JustaFoxGirl]

2 minutes ago, spark said:

I don't think that is that is true.  AFAIK, CPS has no legal jurisdiction, but they work closely with local with the local sheriff.  FTR- calling the local sheriff meets my mandated reported requirements.  The very second they confirmed that what happened, it became a crime scene.  That means, other than getting Sarah to a hospital, the scene stays sterile.  AFAIK, a detective will pull every source of data there is present to assist a DA.    They will find those tapes and use them.  Especially in a case like this, because presently Sarah isn't able to support the prosecution.  Those tapes, along with Amanda's recount is more than enough to warrant a grand jury charge. 

There is a section in this chapter where the 3rd voice says that they need to contact the sheriff, and I would expect a LEO would be present.  In fact, in most cases, the social worker wouldn't even open an unsecured door, but maybe Amanda is more protective (read Diapers Never Lie- might not be the same character, but maybe she is)

Oh that's what I meant. Obviously CPS won't do any searching, but the house will be searched eventually for evidence by police. They'll probably find the paddle, too.

[spark]

1 hour ago, JustaFoxGirl said:

Oh that's what I meant. Obviously CPS won't do any searching, but the house will be searched eventually for evidence by police. They'll probably find the paddle, too.

Mom might be able to escape the immediate prosecution, but they will know who she is.

Unless there is a major FU, an LEO is securing that house the moment they spotted Sarah.  I'm guessing that law enforcement was present when they raided the house, and unless it's hidden very well, the evidence will be found.  Even Saul Goodman ain't touching Mom to defend her.

[Lost Little Neppy]

I keep seeing new posts here, then pouting because there's no new chapter, lmao