The lights in the daycare turned on. Danny opened his eyes groggily. Daycare workers were coming to each child, toddler, and baby, checking on them. As he sat up in his crib, Danny could already tell he needed to be changed. The sticky, smelly mess in the back of his diaper was evidence he’d messed himself during naptime. Again.
“Hi, Danny, how are you?” asked the cute blonde in her twenties named Laura. Laura had become Danny’s personal daycare worker, tasked with making sure he had his needs met but also could still do his job.
“I made boom-boom,” Danny said.
“Again? Well, good thing you’re diapered.” Laura lifted Danny from the crib and brought him over to the changing table. As Danny laid on his back, experiencing yet another diaper change, he thought on his new position in life. He expected that he’d hate being treated like a regular toddler at work, but in actuality, he enjoyed it. Messing himself that fourteenth day in a row had been a blessing in disguise.
Danny still worked as a Junior Product Demonstrator, but had an adult coworker accompanying him when he was on the floor. The adult coworker could assist him with things and make sure he stuck to his new toddler schedule. Danny’s new toddler schedule included breaks for naptime, snacks, and even playtime. He was pretty pleased that he got paid to literally sleep in a crib.
“All done!” Laura said cheerfully. She set Danny on the floor.
“Can I have my binky?” Danny asked.
“Of course you can!” Laura popped Danny’s favorite pacifier into his mouth. Danny suckled on it eagerly. “Do you need a bottle or snack before going back out on the floor?” Danny shook his head. “Good!”
“Thanks for the change,” Danny said.
“Any time,” Laura chirped. “Oh, by the way, your grownup assistant quit during your nap, so you’ve got a new one now.”
“I do?”
“Yep.”
“Who?”