My alarm rang with the BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!That is all too familiar, signaling it is time to rise and shine… whatever!
I reach over and turn off my alarm on my phone before rolling over onto my back, feeling the nice warm feeling around my mid-section. I toss my teddy bear off to the side as I sit up in my crib and awkwardly unlatch the side rail and left it gently lower down and then swing my legs over the side and stand up. Now feeling the full weight of the sodden cloth diaper between my legs, being held up by my onsie and plastic pants.
My name is Joshua Fox Keaton, today is my 16th birthday, but you would not know I was 16, heck I didn’t even want to be 16 either.
I stepped into my bathroom and removed my onsie, lowered my plastic pants and unpinned the diaper. I rinsed it out in the shower before dropping the diaper and plastic pants in a sealed diaper pail that had soap in it and put my onsie in the clothes hamper.
Next, I hopped in the shower and took my time cleaning up and trimming my body hair that I had. I got out of the shower and brushed my teeth and flossed at the sink before returning to my bedroom.
I entered my walk-in closet and grabbed 2 thick cloth diapers and a smaller stuffer, plastic pants, a onsie and some overalls. I put the onsie and shortalls on the back of my chair and spread out a plain white diaper and lay one of the smaller toddler prefold diapers in the front of the larger adult pre-fold. I then folded it into thirds before laying it all inside a prefold contour diaper with sunflowers on it. I powdered the back of the diaper and then climbed upon the changing table and raised my hips to slide the diaper under me. I powdered my front side before pulling the front of the diaper up, giving it a twist as I pulled the diaper tight and placed the diaper pins tightly to secure the diaper.
Next came the bright green plastic pants which accented the sunflower pattern of my outer diaper. I had just got a new onesie with a popular looking cartoon dog on it. I put a work shirt overtop. To finish the outfit off, a pair of shortalls. I grabbed my ipad and phone as I walked out of my bedroom and headed to the kitchen. I made myself some scrambled eggs and when I was done, washed my dishes and hands.
Let me tell you how I grew up and my family….
My parents Lisa and John were hippies, granola eatin’, commune living hippies. Still are to some extent. They run a store and farm in our little town. The store has everything from groceries, herbs and oils, crystals, weed (it’s legal here), hiking gear and more. The farm is really just a plant ranch. We grow and sell flowers and plants. After having me, my parents wanted to settle down where they could live by their own rules and beliefs.
Growing up my parents made sure I was well taken care of and loved by both of them. I was given all the freedoms that a child could ever want. We had dogs, cats, goats, and chickens. A creek that worked its way through our little ranch. We kept to ourselves and bothered nobody.
One area that my parents did not subscribe to is the need to push your children to hit arbitrary milestones. I learned to walk earlier than most children, I was smarter than my peers as well. Though I fell behind my peers on talking. I just didn’t. I understood and knew what people said but I did not talk. My parents took me to many doctors who could come up with nothing besides me being non-verbal; they wanted to say I was autistic but I was not checking all the boxes that fit the typical diagnosis, but years later it would be determine that I was in fact on the spectrum. I was more apt to point and grunt. I could say some small words like mom dad yes no, but I was enrolled in ASL classes and various speech therapy clinics when I was 3
I proved that I was very robust with my language skills, just not spoken. I started with picture cards or binders, then moved to an AAC device that could talk for me. The first device I got was so heavy for me to take with me, it was almost a hinderance rather than a tool. Thank goodness that iPads now exist. I have 1 iPad I use exclusively for AAC and another as a backup. We know AppleCare all too well, screens, batteries, water damage… you name it, it’s happened.
I was homeschooled and my parents let me guide my schooling based on my interests.
Another area that I was never interested in was being potty trained. From an early age, I knew that the time spent having my diaper changed was time that I got to spend with my parents, just one-on-one time. I mean my parents both tried to get me out of diapers, but I knew I liked my diapers and wanted to stay in them, so after a year of trying to get me out of diapers they gave up. I was already 5 at the time and was able to ‘voice’ my opinion about it too.
Since I was home schooled, I never had to go to public schools and deal with being picked on for wearing diapers or being non-verbal. My parents would change me in the morning and often I would run around our secluded property in just a diaper and plastic pants, or sometimes add a onsie onto it. Some concerned people said stuff to my mom about me being in diapers at my age, or running around in just a diaper. My mom would always tell those busybodies to mind their own business that she was perfectly capable of raising her child, and caring for him emotionally.
It was not that I did not know that I had used my diaper, I just did not bother to try to stop it. It was easier to deal with getting changed than to stop playing or whatever I was doing. When I was about 10 my mom told me that I shouldn’t run around the property in just a diaper or diaper and onsie, because people may get upset.
My mom or dad would change my diapers all the time, but when I turned 13 my parents said that I had to start doing it myself if I wished to stay in diapers. So I soon learned how to fold and pin on the thick cloth diapers that I wore. My parents in no way would use disposables unless we would be away from home for the whole day or more.
My dad was that typical dad that can fashion anything out of junk and create all sorts of wood creations. Most of the furniture in my bedroom were made by my dad. My crib, changing table, rocking horse and other projects around the house.
My mom was the person who sewed her own clothes, and made many of my clothes too. While I do buy new clothes, we thrift store shop and modify clothes.
As a family we love traveling in the wintertime and a couple weeks in the fall and spring, when the plant ranch and store were closed. In the early days it was camping in tents or in the back of the van. In the last many years, we bought a used Sprinter van and converted it into a camper. We lifted it up and added big tires. In addition we pulled a box trailer behind the van. This is where we store supplies, it has a shower, water storage and a toilet. We use the grey water from the shower to flush the toilet. There is a small low power washing machine too, we hang everything out on a clothesline.
There is room to bring the side-by-side and there is a bed that flips down for me to sleep in if I don’t want to use a tent.
We have been all over the US and Canada, seeing many national parks and many national monuments too.
Dad and I have been working for a couple of years on renovating an old school bus as our new camper. It will have a master bedroom at the back, 4 bunks which can be converted into cribs. Mom insisted on a nice kitchen, so she gets a nice stove and oven.
We like to boondock so we put in two 3-way fridges, as you cannot get a big fridge that runs on propane and batteries. We put solar all on the roof to be able to power the rig, a big diesel generator is located in a compartment under the bus. Of course we have to do a bathroom and shower, so the tanks needed to support them as well were added.
Back to my day….
On the agenda for today is writing this story, chatting online and basically being free to roam around our farm. I had to go and check on the greenhouses and make sure the plants were watered, feed and water the chickens and goats. Then I was free to ride my mountain bike, the side-by-side or whatever.
I filled my big insulated water flask and walked out the door. I could see at the front of the property that the gate to the plant nursery was already open and customers were milling around.
I hopped on my bike and rode though the path from the house to the greenhouses. I walked into the first one and hung my ipad on the hook, turned the water spigot on and grabbed the hose and wand and walked up the aisles of plants watering all on one side, and then back up the other side of the aisle, over to the other aisle, down and back.
Turned the water off, grabbed my ipad and check that one off the chore list. I did all 3 green houses. Next stop chickens, fed and watered, eggs gathered. I ran the eggs up to the garage and got to work on feeding the goats.
With all my chores done, I stopped at the garage and took my work shoes off and put my crocs on and rode my bike to the office for the plant ranch to see my mom.
Hi MaMa My iPad said
“Hey Fox, did you get all your chores done?”
I shook my head yes.
“Good, what are you going to do now?”
“Do you need help? ” My iPad said
“Sure, why don’t you watch the counter while I stock outside.”
I gave her the sign for OK, and sat my iPad on the counter and kicked out the stand for it, so I could use it.
I had felt my diaper getting warm and heavy, likely due to all the water I’ve drank so far for the day. I knew I did not have to worry about changing for some time, I was very thickly diapered.
I rang a few locals up who had just stopped in for some soap, garden veggies, and stuff. I could already tell who my next customer was by the way she looked around, and up and down at me.
“Do you all take credit cards?, do you have any more of these” she said holding out a cactus.
I nodded my head yes and smiled
“Ugh you can’t even answer me, what has gotten into your generation”
“I am sorry….. I am not verbal….I do not speak, and use my device to communicate….. please be patient.” The preprogrammed phrases played as I tapped the icons on the screen.
“Ugh! They will hire just any (R word we don’t say) it seems” she mumbled, thinking I did not hear her.
Now, I’m mad! “DO NOT CALL ME THAT WORD” my iPad blasted.
“You…. Can. Leave Now“
Where is your manager, I know they don’t leave people who can’t even talk in charge.
I rang the loud fire bell that we have wired up, my mom came walking in.
“Is there a problem?” Mom said
“Your clerk here is rude, do you just hire anybody who warms a seat?”
“Pardon me…?”
From the other side of the office another customer piped up. “Lady you called him retarded, what do you expect”
I was so mad I accidentally hit the speak button
“You can leave now“
“I think I agree, you won’t talk to my employees like that EVER! Your business is not welcome here ever, and that includes the mercantile up the road too”
The lady stomped out in a huff, slingin gravel as she left.
“You don’t ever have to take that, you are unique and wonderful, some people are just evil you know”
“I know….. mommy. Mean…. People… suck“
I am usually able to communicate with customers using pre-made phrases. I love being at the plant ranch around all the plants. Plants are beautiful and don’t judge, you give them water and nutrients and they will blossom for you.
After that when mom was done stocking the outside displays I went and rode around the wooded trails for a couple hours until I felt the pressure of needing to mess. I rode up to the house and parked my bike and went inside right as I messed my diaper.
I went upstairs to my bathroom and got cleaned up before returning to my bedroom to get into a clean diaper. After I got changed I went back to my bathroom and emptied the water that my diapers were soaking in down the shower drain before taking the pail down to the laundry room where I dumped them into the laundry sink and rinsed them out and threw them into the washing machine. While the machine was starting I hand washed my plastic pants and hung them to dry, taking the dry ones down in the process. I filled the bottom of the pail with more pre-soak enzyme cleaner concentrate before heading upstairs. With my empty pail and a laundry bag full of clean diapers and plastic pants.
To be honest, I had lots of plain white diapers. But an equal amount of printed ones as well. I tended to use the printed ones on the outside and fold the white ones on the inside. I sat in a chair and folded my clean diapers and then stacked them up in the storage cubes that I put my diapers and plastic pants into. It was early afternoon, this being early May the public schools were still in session. Since I was home schooled, I did my school pretty much whenever I had the time, so I was done for the week, and pretty much the year.
I checked my social media and texts before hearing the chime of the washer completing. I ran down to the laundry room and started the wash for the second time to rinse again. The basement is a fully finished basement. We have sofas and chairs down there, in addition to a TV and small bar area. I decided to hang out down there till the washing machine stopped and then move the diapers to the clothesline out back.
While scrolling my social media, I got a text from Randy up the road wanting to know if I wanted to go ride around the woods between our houses. He had just gotten home and off the bus. I told him I had to finish washing and hanging my diapers up outside, then I could.
“Mind if I come over and hang while you wait?” He replied
“Sure if you want to.” I replied
Soon enough I heard the door from the garage open, followed by the basement door and Randy coming down the stairs.
“Daily diaper duty time?” He rhetorically asked
“Yes you know somebody has to do it. I wear them I wash them.“
He chuckled.
“They should be done soon“
When the buzzer rang I went and got them out of the washer and into a laundry basket. Randy and I walked out the basement door and into the backyard towards the clothesline. I proceeded to grab diapers and clothespins and started hanging the wet diapers up. Randy grabbed one from the basket and hung it up, totally not being grossed that he was hanging up something that I literally peed in before washing it.
“Thank you for helping me“, my iPad played.
“You are more than welcome” Randy said.
I could see he was getting awkward about something that I knew all too well with him.
What, you want to wear one? Why be awkward about it. You know where they are. I typed into the ipad and had it read out
“I know it’s just ya know” He stuttered
Our parents know, nobody cares. Just hands off my bluey diaper! Meet you in the garage. I typed as we walked back into the house.
Randy and I have been friends for years since he moved in about 10 years ago. At first when he found out I still wore diapers he was grossed out and said that only babies wore them. Then one time when he slept over he got up the nerve to ask how they felt. I told him he would have to try one to know and after much debate he decided to be brave and try one on. He was totally clueless about putting them on, as he had only seen people diapering their babies in disposables. I had to help him get the diaper on. He ended up wearing it that night but did not use it and wanted it off in the morning. I think we were 11 or 12 at that time.
That would not be the last time Randy had asked me if he could wear one of my diapers.