It's okay to wet yourself

Bella giggled, clapping her hands. Jamie, the boy with just his nappy and shirt, stared at the page, his eyes wide with interest. Hailey huffed, looking away, her face pink.

Lilly swallowed hard, gripping her knees.

Miss Emily continued. “Timmy didn’t like his nappies at first. He told himself he didn’t need them. He tried so, so hard to be a big boy, even though everyone told him it was okay to just let go.”

The next page showed Timmy sitting cross-legged, his arms crossed, looking stubborn. His cheeks were red, and he had a visible pout.

“But poor Timmy was holding it in all the time! Even when he had his nice, soft, safe nappy, he tried to be a big boy. And do you know what happened?”

Miss Emily looked around the circle, waiting for someone to answer.

Bella was the first to pipe up, bouncing excitedly. “He hadda accident!”

“Very good, Bella!” Miss Emily praised, turning the page.

The image showed Timmy sitting stiffly, his face scrunched in concentration. There were little wavy lines around his belly, as if to show the discomfort he was feeling.

“Timmy tried and tried to hold it like a big boy,” Miss Emily continued, “but oh dear! Holding it just made him so uncomfortable! He couldn’t play, he couldn’t have fun, he was always thinking about how much he needed to go!”

Lilly shifted uncomfortably. She hadn’t thought about it much since being taped into her own nappy, but the story was suddenly reminding her of that pressure in her bladder, the one she had been trying to ignore since she had been dragged in here.

She wasn’t going to use it.

She refused.

Miss Emily turned the page again, revealing an image of Timmy sitting in his playpen, looking utterly miserable. His legs were squeezed together, his hands fisted on his lap. His face was pink, his eyes watery.

Miss Emily turned the page with a knowing smile.

“And then… oh dear!” she continued, her voice carrying a gentle sort of amusement. “Poor Timmy just couldn’t hold it any longer!”

The next illustration showed Timmy sitting wide-eyed, his cheeks turning bright red as little blue droplets appeared around his nappy. His hands clutched at his lap in surprise, and wavy lines surrounded him to show the moment of release.

Lilly’s stomach churned. She could feel the tension in the picture, the same tension she was carrying inside herself.

“Timmy was so sure that wetting his nappy would be the worst thing ever,” Miss Emily said, her tone light and sing-songy. “But… do you know what happened?”

The room was quiet. Even Hailey, who had been sulking moments before, glanced up from beneath her lashes.

Miss Emily grinned, turning the page.

Timmy was no longer scrunched up. His body had relaxed, his hands resting lightly at his sides. His expression wasn’t embarrassed or miserable anymore. Instead, he looked—content. Peaceful.

“It wasn’t bad at all!” Miss Emily announced, as if revealing a wonderful secret. “Timmy realized that all that time, all that effort he had been using to hold it in, had only made him unhappy. But when he let go, he felt so much better!”

Lilly swallowed thickly. She could feel the weight of her own bladder now, ever present. The idea of just… letting go made her stomach twist in protest. But a tiny, nagging thought whispered in the back of her mind: What if it really wasn’t so bad?

Miss Emily flipped the page again, showing Timmy standing up, his hands on his hips as he approached a caretaker.

“After that, Timmy thought, ‘Well, I should get a change now, right?’” she narrated, mimicking a deep, boyish voice.

The next illustration showed a gentle, smiling caretaker shaking her head, patting Timmy’s hand reassuringly.

“But the answer was no! Timmy wasn’t ready for a change yet. At first, he was so worried! He thought his nappy would feel bad, that it would be uncomfortable, that he would be stuck in something icky!”

The following page showed Timmy fidgeting, his hands pulling at the waistband of his nappy, looking unsure.

“But… oh! Timmy was in for a big surprise!”

Miss Emily turned the page one more time, and now Timmy was smiling again. Sitting happily with a toy train in his hands, his posture relaxed, no longer preoccupied with discomfort or anxiety.

“He realized… wet nappies aren’t so bad! In fact, they’re super duper comfy! They keep littles nice and warm and safe, and before long, Timmy completely forgot about needing a change! He just went back to playing, happy as could be!”

Bella giggled and nodded enthusiastically. “It’s true!” she chirped. “Diapies don’t feel bad at all!”

Jamie, the boy in just his nappy and shirt, squirmed a little, as if suddenly aware of his own padding. But after a moment, he gave a small nod. “Yeah…” he muttered, almost to himself. “I guess it’s not that bad…”

Even Hailey, despite her deep scowl, was clearly listening, her eyes flickering to the illustrations with thinly veiled curiosity.

Lilly, however, was frozen.

The thought of just… letting go made her entire body tense. But at the same time, she could feel the ache in her bladder, the pressure she had been stubbornly holding since the morning. What if they didn’t let her use the toilet? What if she asked, and they just told her no?

The idea of wetting herself on purpose was horrifying. But what if it really wasn’t bad?

Miss Emily closed the book with a satisfied hum. “And that’s the end of Timmy’s Big Adventure!” she said brightly. “Timmy learned a very important lesson—sometimes, the thing we’re most scared of isn’t scary at all. And sometimes, when we stop fighting, we realize things are so much easier.”

She smiled around at them all, her gaze warm and expectant.