Mitchell's Bedtime Bathroom Logic

As a college student balancing academic demands and my part-time caregiving responsibilities, I've been wrestling with some pretty interesting questions lately about my favorite charge, Mitchell. Though physically an adult, Mitchell functions developmentally at about a two-year-old level, which creates its own unique set of challenges and learning experiences.

There's been this ongoing conversation about Mitchell "pooping the bed" - but let's take a step back and examine this with some rational thinking, shall we? Developmentally, Mitchell is two. His primary concerns in life are which toy truck makes the best vrooming sound and whether his sandwich should be cut in triangles or squares. The complex neurological pathways required for nighttime bowel control? Not exactly part of his current skill set.

When Mitchell goes to bed with his bottle, he's entering his own little dreamland where potty training rules simply don't apply. And honestly, that makes perfect sense. If nature calls in the middle of the night, the logical solution for someone functioning at a toddler level isn't to wake up, call for help, and navigate the whole bathroom situation. The practical solution is right there, wrapped around his waist - his pampers.

Some days you'll nail your caregiving, other days you'll survive on coffee and whatever strategy requires the least resistance. And that's okay.

The expectation that Mitchell should somehow interrupt his sleep cycle to address bathroom needs seems, well, completely disconnected from developmental reality. Mitchell using his diaper in the morning when he wakes up and eats breakfast? That's not a problem to solve - that's literally what diapers are designed for.

Let's be real - perfection in caregiving is impossible. The path to managing daily living skills isn't linear, and it certainly doesn't happen overnight. Mitchell isn't being defiant or difficult by using his diaper for its intended purpose. He's just functioning at his developmental level, navigating his world with the tools and understanding available to him.

Those moments when you feel like you're failing at this whole caregiving thing? They're lies. Those times when you compare Mitchell's progress to someone else with similar challenges? That's an illusion (and probably an exaggeration).

Because at the end of the day, a well-rested Mitchell in a dirty pamper seems far more rational than a sleep-deprived, stressed-out Mitchell who's being asked to master skills beyond his developmental capacity.

Just my two cents from the frontlines of toddler logic,

Max