Leah sighed to herself, knowing that she would have to come out about this sometime. Might as well rip the band aid off.
"Honestwy, Tina can take cawe of it waita. Thewe's no need fo you to wowwy about potty twaining me. I think aftah today, I'd wather just use my diapies than embawwass myself anymoe."
Rita looked concerned, but relented with a sigh.
"Very well. I can't really blame you, but I hope you understand what you're doing will have consequences."
Leah shrugged. "No, I get that. Also, I can change myself. You don hafta change my poopy diapies."
"No no, it's fine. I was expecting as much from you, so it's no trouble. If you want to change yourself though, I won't stop you. I'm sure Tina taught you how."
Leah nodded, but knew that Tina did no such thing. It doesn't matter, she liked to keep her independence and stumble through learning how to change herself.
"Well, get some sleep. I'll have to tell Tina about this in the morning." Rita said as she moved to leave. Leah figured as much; there was no backing out of being a toddler now. She only hoped she would not come to regret her hastily made decision to throw her maturity out the window. Tomorrow, she'll find out herself if she'll find repour with a daycare crowd. She curled up and went to sleep with a few sucks of her pacifier.
She woke up to find that she thoroughly wet herself, anxious and excited in equal measures. Seeing her potty training disappear in real time was as nerve wracking as it was empowering. She quickly got changed into a new diaper---getting the hang of changing herself---and put on an outfit. She decided to stick with her princess onesie dress from the previous night, even putting her hair in pigtails and placing the tiara back in to complete the look. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, and was just as happy with what she saw as she was last night, maybe even more so. She looked like a bratty princess that was large and in charge, taking no shit from no one.
She pranced her way down the stairs with a certain dignified swagger that made Rita burst into laughter when she entered the kitchen.
"Well, you seem to really enjoy that outfit. You seem to be wearing it well, too." She said, sipping her morning coffee. Leah brushed a pigtail
behind her shoulder confidently.
"I feel like royalty, might as well let everyone else know."
Breakfast went fast. Rita tried to feed her, but she was rather emphatic about eating herself. Even still, she made a bit of a mess with her bowl of cereal, maybe getting a little too excited to be eating Fruity Pebbles for the first time in years. She cleaned it up, of course; she might be a toddler now, but she wasn't going to make it everyone else's problem.
The drive to the playground had Leah feeling anxious, and it wasn't just because of the booster seat Rita had installed (which while she's not happy about it, she gets it; honestly not even something she's upset about). What if she didn't like being around toddlers? She can't say she has recently. Rita had her conversation with Tina before Leah woke up, so she wasn't privy on her step-mother's reaction, but knowing Tina...she wasn't going to handle it normally. Her baby adventures that started in that department store will only get more and more wild and infantile, on that she has no doubts. She shakes her head, riding her mind of the traitorous thoughts; she made this decision because she realized how much she hated herself. Always defensive, always a chip on her shoulder, always trying to prove she should be taken seriously and never feeling like she was. Leah never wants to feel like that again, even if that means she spends the rest of her life in diapers; Tina won't take that from her, even if she has to scream and cry and throw tantrums to get her way. Leah smiles at herself at the thought---she honestly could see herself doing it. She's never felt more confident in herself, and she doesn't want to lose that.
When they arrive at the play ground, Leah can't help but stare: the place was ENOURMOUS! It looked like complex, maze-like wooden structures that climbed several stories into the sky, with all manner of swings, bridges, bars, ladders, and climbing places. Leah didn't think she even needed to be a tot to think it looked amazing. And she gets to play on that!?
"Howy shit!" She whispered to herself through her pacifier.
"Language! But, yes, it's definitely impressive isn't it?"
"Uh, yeah?! Oh my god, let's go, let's go!" She removed herself from her booster seat and slammed open the car door. Rita scrambled to follow behind, reprimanding her for running off, but Leah wasn't having it. She was at the entrance bouncing on her feet before Rita finally caught up, out of breath.
"How are you so fast now?" She huffed, getting a mischievous grin from Leah. Apparently going full toddler mode had unlocked her stamina to degrees she didn't know she had; while Teen Leah was a buddle of nerves that easily tired, Princess Leah was a boundless ocean of energy.
They made their way through the entrance, the gatekeeper not even batting an eye when Rita said she was 2 and could get in free. Leah figured that, unless someone knew her, it was impossible for someone to see her as anything other than the toddler she felt like.
"Well, go off and have fun! I'll be over in the parent section if you need me, or need to change."
"Alright! Thanks Rita, you're the best!" She shouted before running off. She had a good feeling about the day. It didn't take her long to find several groups of toddlers, all scrambling around the massive structure. She jumps at her chance to join them, and discovers that...