The heart of the memory is the writer’s mother’s daily ritual. When a diaper was soiled, she didn’t hesitate. She rinsed it directly in the toilet, squeezed out the excess water by hand, and then placed it in a diaper pail until laundry day arrived. It was messy, repetitive, and exhausting, yet she did it without complaint.
What sounds shocking now was once standard practice. Toilet water was just a convenient way to handle the mess quickly, and the diaper pail kept odors under control until enough diapers had accumulated to justify a full wash cycle.
