Riley

10

When her mother or her father would change her diaper, Riley would look for ways to make that moment unique and always different from the previous one. Once, she put both hands in front of her nether regions and made numerous fusses at her father to prevent him from tying her new diaper; it took her almost half an hour to tie it.

Arriving in the room, Riley lowered her jeans with automatic movements and waited for her mother to put her on the changing table. A ladder to climb on could save energy and time, the little girl suddenly thought.

Helen laid her down and began ripping off the ribbons with her usual loving, detail-oriented manner. Unlike Greg, she, to play, was in no mood for it. She had to clean and dress her; there was no time for fun. The only thing the little girl could do was talk, but at that moment the urge to do so was below zero. She turned her thoughtful gaze toward the empty orange wall to her left.

"When you're quiet, it means something's wrong," began Helen cozily as she gave her a wipe with the front of her soiled diaper. "Tell me everything."

Riley sighed conflictedly, then asked that question, "Why does everything have to get difficult?"

"Everything in which sense?" she asked not understanding, then told her, "Get your butt up."

Riley waited for her mother to remove her soiled diaper before answering. Without realizing it, the clean diaper made contact with her skin.

"Homework," she said despondently. "I feel like a complete nothing."

Helen took two wipes, wiped the little girl's pelvic area with one and her bottom with the other. She spoke in a motivated and firm voice, never losing the softness that characterized her voice, "It's normal, when it happens is the time when you have to react. Besides, you can ask us for help."

"Not always though," replied Riley bitterly. "I don't know how to react. You make it easy, but it's not easy at all!"

"If it were easy, you would never grow up," Helen slathered her with anti-irritation cream. "When you think you can't do it, just stop and distract yourself so you're sure you'll jump out of it," she said.

"I know it's not easy. In your case, now it's more ... important than ever not to lose the confidence you have in yourself," he paused for a moment to close her clean diaper, then continued, "I know you'll make it, Riley. Doesn't the book result come out for you? Just ignore it, the important thing is that you tried."

Tears were beginning to form; the little girl was almost crying. Before diapers, she didn't have a problem with all this; she was a lonely little girl who always made it through the first time. This gave her pause.

Helen sat her down and looked her straight in the eye, as she had a few weeks before. Yes, she felt like she was reliving that very day. He spoke to her softly, "It is normal to be afraid of not succeeding, the important thing, as I told you before, is to try." She gave her a kiss on the forehead. She resumed speaking, "Falling is about getting back up. Remember that book you told me about?"

Riley pulled up her nose. "The one about the little robot boy?"

"Did he give up when he encountered a difficulty?"

"No," Riley replied suspiciously. "He-he got up and overcame it. But doing homework is not like saving a galaxy, Mom!"

"Exactly."

"Huh?"

Helen smiled and gave her an encouraging look.

"So, I shouldn't give up?"

Helen hugged her. "Will you give up?"

Riley did not answer right away, each sweet word from her mother was like a beam of light in the darkness. Everything was clearer to her now: "No, I don't think so!".