Jason was very quiet on the way up, I could see he was preoccupied, and as we drove into the airport car park he suddenly blurted out. “Mummy what if she gets cross at me?”
I looked at him in surprise, “Why would she do that sweetheart?”
“She got really cross with me once before” said Jason
“Oh darling, that’s because she thought you were a man making rude comments about women”
“I wasn’t meaning to be rude Mummy” said Jason almost tearfully.
“I know sweetheart, Mummy understands, you just didn’t know any better, and Aunty Sandra understands now that your just a little boy, so we can start right from the beginning again and train you so you get things right.”
Jason was quiet for a moment, “But what if she laughs at me for being a little boy?”
Trying my best to be patient I said, “Aunty Sandra is not going to laugh at you or be cross with you just as long as you’re a good boy for Mummy. Can you tell me what that means?
“Doing what Mummy tells me.”
“And can you do that for Mummy and show Aunty Sandra what a good little boy you really are?”
“Yes Mummy!”
“Good boy! Mummy’s very proud of her little boy, and Aunty Sandra will love you too, you have nothing to worry about. Mummy knows her little one is feeling a bit anxious and shy, and she knows how to look after you. Now let me check those nappies.” I pulled down the zip of his trousers cupping my hand over the front of the nappy and jiggling it a bit to feel if the nappy was sodden. Even from the outside a dry nappy feels different to the touch than a wet one and different again to a sodden one. In the few days he has been wearing disposables I had become skilled at telling the difference just by the weight and feel of the nappy. He was wet as I expected he would be but not too wet to need a change right now. So we got out of the car and I told him that he must hold Mummy’s hand until we got into the airport terminal.