You’ve had a long day and it’s time to put your six year old daughter to bed. A quick rummage through the pyjama drawer, and you find the pretty pink pyjamas you bought from Tesco last year. Why don’t you put her in these more often?
Teeth are brushed, cuddles are had, and bedtime goes very smoothly. You breathe a sigh of relief – it’s not always like this. Sometimes there is kicking and screaming. Parenting a child who is non verbal and doesn’t understand a lot of the world around them is hard. How do you explain to someone who doesn’t think they are tired that it IS in fact bedtime?
She settles into her bed with a book to look at, happily cooing under her duvet. After half an hour she is quietly snoozing. All is well with the world and you have a few hours of precious time to yourself before your eyelids will droop and you will feel the pull of your own bed.
It’s 2am and you startle awake to a noise – a shout? No, it sounds more like a chuckle. You jump up and stumble to your daughter’s room, trying not to trip on the toys scattered on the floor along the way.
The second you open the door you are hit with a smell unlike any other. Fumbling for the lightswitch, you hope and pray that you are somehow imagining the stench that has started to make your eyes water.
The lights click on and suddenly you are wide awake. Your daughter is sitting up and grinning at you. She is covered in poo. You notice the crotch poppered vests and zip-up-the-back suits you had carefully left by her bed as a reminder to yourself. You suddenly remember why you haven’t put her in the pretty pink pyjamas recently.
