my body, my say — the toilet truce 🚽✋

co-created in therapy with brave sparks, this episode helps kids explore 🚽 body autonomy and 🏫 school routines through the adventures of james and nate ✋ 

when their classroom’s toilet rules don’t match what their bodies need, these curious kids come up with a brave, respectful solution that helps everyone — even their teacher 🙌 

this story draws on real classroom experiences and highlights the importance of interoception — the way our bodies signal things like thirst, hunger, or needing the toilet 💧🍽️🚻 for many neurodivergent kids, these signals can feel delayed or extra intense 🔄 

whether it’s a full bladder, a sensory signal, or the courage to speak up, this story gently supports 💬 self-advocacy, 🌟 emotional resilience, and 🤝 collaborative problem-solving 

🎧 includes: 
 – a playful therapeutic story 
 – reflection questions to chat about 
 – ideas for home, school, or therapy 
part of brave sparks — a storytelling podcast shaped by the voice, needs, and strengths of neurodivergent children ✨ 

🎧 sound credits:
✍️ written by: trust children and the kids we support (with a sprinkle of ai magic)
🎙️ voice: the brave sparks team
🎛️ sound mixing: brave sparks team
🎶 music: serene acoustic guitar melodies by lolamoore — https://freesound.org/s/768424 — attribution 4.0

🔊 sound effects include:
 📝 classroom ambience by mickleness — https://freesound.org/s/338192 — cc0
 💺 soft chair creak by stevious42 — https://freesound.org/s/268903 — attribution 3.0
 🖊️ scribble pencil by florianreichelt — https://freesound.org/s/539449 — cc0
 👣 footsteps on carpet by qfox — https://freesound.org/s/415209 — attribution 3.0
 🚶‍♂️ school hallway walking by epicsoundfx — https://freesound.org/s/640875 — cc0
 🎵 chalk on blackboard by inspectorj — https://freesound.org/s/401011 — attribution 4.0
 😳 dun dun dun music sting by setuniman — https://freesound.org/s/274178 — attribution 3.0
 🚽 toilet flush by felix.blume — https://freesound.org/s/448221 — attribution 4.0
 📣 door creak by samsterbirdies — https://freesound.org/s/235968 — cc0
 🎬 dramatic gasp by croms — https://freesound.org/s/234244 — attribution 3.0

🌀 part of the brave sparks podcast — co-created in therapy, shaped by the voice, needs, and strengths of neurodivergent children. 🌟

🎧 co-created in therapy — inspired by your child’s voice, strengths, and needs.

🎙️ voice: children who helped shape the episode with simone mossop
 🎛️ sound design: brave sparks team
 🎵 intro/outro music: serene acoustic guitar melodies by lolamoore — https://freesound.org/s/768424 — attribution 4.0

✨ explore more spark stories or learn about our therapy approach: trustchildren.au/bravesparks

Transcript

🎙️ my body, my say — the toilet truce 🚽✋

james and nate were curious kids — always asking questions, especially about rules that didn’t make sense. like why they had to wait 15 whole minutes to use the toilet after recess.

“but i didn’t need to go at recess,” james whispered, squirming in his seat.
 “me neither,” said nate. “it only hits when i sit down!”

across the classroom, mrs hold-it-in was writing the maths problem of the day on the board. her bun was tight, her mouth even tighter.

nate nudged james. “uh oh… she’s got the hold-it-in face on again.”
 “excuse me, mrs hold-it-in?” james raised his hand gently. “i really need to use the bathroom.”

without turning around, she replied in her usual tone — crisp as a cracker:
 “you should have gone at recess, james. you’ll need to wait. we have a routine for a reason.”

james sank back into his chair. his bladder was doing the opposite of the routine.
 “how are we supposed to learn ‘my body, my say’,” nate muttered, “if we’re not allowed to listen to our bodies?”
james nodded. “yeah. my body says go. mrs hold-it-in says no.”

at lunch, they sat under the shade of the big gum tree, talking it through.

“what if we made a plan?” nate said. “like… a real solution. something that actually helps her and us.”
 “like what?”

“okay, idea one,” nate said, holding up a finger. “what if there was a toilet pass? just one or two kids at a time. and if you use it, you just pop it on your desk so she knows where you are.”
 “and no one has to say anything out loud,” james added. “that helps kids who get nervous asking.”
 “right! and we could even put a time limit on it — like, 5 minutes max unless you're sick or stuck in the queue.”

“or...” nate paused, then grinned. “we could think even bigger.”
 “bigger how?”

“we make a petition,” nate said, eyes sparkling. “one all the kids can sign. and in it, we ask for the end-of-recess song to go a little longer — long enough for us to have a drink, go to the toilet and still be ready for learning.”
 james blinked. “whoa. that’s actually genius.”
 “we could call it...” nate said, arms out like a banner, “‘make space for our bodies’.”
 james grabbed a scrap of paper. “let’s write it up. and maybe we ask the student council for backup?”

the next morning, they left two things on mrs hold-it-in’s desk:
 a folded note with their toilet pass idea, and a petition with over forty student signatures asking for more time between the bell and the start of lessons.

mrs hold-it-in didn’t say anything at first. but when the bell rang after lunch, she cleared her throat and said,

“we’ll trial the pass system for the next two weeks. one person out at a time. no judgement. just responsibility. and... i’ll speak with leadership about the music timing. perhaps there’s room for a rethink.”

james and nate stared at each other, wide-eyed.
 “did we just... win?”
 “i think we just made school a bit more body-friendly,” james whispered.
 nate grinned. “that’s the power of a good idea... and a wiggly bladder.”

💭 reflection questions

– have you ever needed the toilet but weren’t allowed to go?
 – what helps you know when your body is asking for a break?
 – if you could change one school rule, what would it be?
 – how do you think james and nate felt when their idea was accepted?
 – what would your sign say if you were starting a petition?

💛 note for grown-ups

this episode was co-created with a particular brave spark who wanted support around toilet anxiety at school — especially the frustration of being denied access when their body was clearly asking to go.

in the story, we use “my body, my say” as a framework for self-advocacy. the children are not “misbehaving” — they’re problem-solving, using creativity and collaboration to find a solution that honours bodily autonomy and classroom routines.

children with sensory needs or anxiety may struggle with rigid schedules that don’t account for interoception (the body’s internal cues). being able to recognise and respond to the need to toilet is a huge milestone — and one worth protecting. you might hear new phrases in your home like “my body says go,” or “make space for our bodies.” these can become helpful ways to open up conversations about trust, timing, and autonomy.