When he eventually finished his bottle Todd had to go back to playing with his rattles and blocks in his play pen. His mother wouldn’t tolerate silence and his little sister was only too happy to order him to shake his rattle or make simple words with his blocks.
When it came to lunchtime his mother and sister went to the kitchen and in between rattles he could hear that they were discussing his lunch. “Spinach?” his mother asked. “Ehw! Yes!” his sister agreed. “Cabbage?” “Yuch? Yes!” Todd could only squirm in the play pen.
Eventually, shortly after hearing the blender running, his mother came for him, opened the side of the play pen and led him to the kitchen. They normally ate at the table but she led him to the high breakfast bar chairs. She made him sit up and tied a little bib around his neck. “I know you don’t want to get your pretty pink dress dirty”, she teased.
She stirred a green mush in a bowl. “Lucy, would you find one of those straps that attaches to soothers please?” Lucy scampered off to the spare room. His mother removed his soother and placed it on the breakfast bar. She tittered at the gloomy look on Todd’s face as he contemplated his lunch.
She held up a spoonful of the green sludge. “Open wide!” Todd paused but reluctantly opened his mouth. His mother pushed the spoon in and waited for him to close his mouth over the spoon before withdrawing it.
Todd shuddered at both the taste and texture of his lunch. Another spoonful was already waiting for him. Not having any choice but to do what he was told if he didn’t want an extended time in nappies he resolved to get it over with as quickly as possible. However, his mother decided that the opposite was better and started to take her time filling the spoonfuls and pausing to watch his grimaces with each mouthful.
He thought he was finished but his mother dutifully scrapped all the little bits around the bowl up to make another spoonful. Meanwhile, Lucy had attached a strap to his soother. Once he was finished his lunch, his mother popped his soother back into his mouth and clipped the other end of the strap to the lace collar of his dress. “So you don’t have to worry about losing it!”, she sniggered.
He was led back to his play pen and under Lucy’s supervision played with his rattles and blocks again. All the time his need to pee was growing. He wasn’t looking forward to the mortification of having to ask for the toilet with his mother in the mood she was in. She would tease him terribly before removing his nappy and letting him go to the bathroom.
So he waited as long as he could. He stopped shaking any rattles or blocks as that was the surest way of attracting his mother’s attention. Sure enough she came in from the kitchen. He tried to say “I need the toilet” but the soother made it sound like “ng geeg ng ghuuugh”.
As expected his mother feigned ignorance. “What’s that dear?” He repeated the gibberish. “Have you wet your nappy?” she asked, all innocent like. He shook his head firmly. “Well let me know when you do!” she said firmly and left the room.
Todd was taken aback. He was fully expecting her to tease him for five or six minutes before letting him go. Instead she had just returned to the kitchen. Lucy ran after her. “Are you really going to make him use the nappy?” she asked eagerly. “Of course dear, that’s what it’s for, isn’t it?” “Yes!” Lucy confirmed and returned to gloat over her big brother.
Todd was stunned. Surely this was just a new way of teasing him. But his mother didn’t return and his need was building and building. Lucy was watching him eagerly.
After several minutes, he could hold out no longer. “NNNNGGGGHHH!” he blurted. His mother put her head around the corner. “Has baby-waby a wet nappy-wappy?” Todd cringed. He shook his head firmly and tried to convey the urgency with body language.
“No? Looks like it won’t be long now. I’ll prepare the changing table.” She walked off to the utility room. Todd was devastated. He could hold out no longer. He started peeing into his nappy. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He started blubbering at the humiliation of it. “Mummy! Baby is wetting his nappy!” Lucy shouted excitedly. “Very good dear”, his mother answered calmly.
It seemed like it would never stop. He thought there was no way the nappy and plastic pants could hold it all in. He was afraid to budge but continued blubbering. “That’s right sweetie, you nurse your soother. That will make it all better.”
Todd froze. He hadn’t realized but he had indeed suc-ked hard on his soother for comfort from his wetting. That realization just made him cry harder.
“Let me know when you’re done and we’ll get you changed” his mother told him breezily like it was the most normal thing. Todd sat stunned unable to comprehend that he was sitting in a play-pen, wearing a pink frilly dress, suc-king on a soother, in a soaked nappy.
His mother returned. “Come along now!” She opened the side of the pen. Todd gingerly scrambled to his feet. His mother knelt down beside him. “Don’t worry”, she said sweetly as she felt around the elasticated leg opening to check for any leakage. Todd looked up at her hopefully. “You will soon get used to it”, she assured him. “Nnnghh! Nnngghh! Nnngggh!” Todd blubbered into his soother as he waddled alongside his mother.