Do you think, with his children being turtles, that Splinter ever had really bad scares because of their biology?
Like, their first winter, he comes back from scavenging for supplies to find the turtles unresponsive. And he freaks out thinking they're dead, only to find out they're brumating, which is a stage of dormancy because of the cold.
Or one of them tucking into their shells in the middle of the hallway because they're up past bedtime and he accidentally trips on them/kicks them.
How about when the turtles are shedding they're scutes while growing and for the first little while, Splinter is scared that they may be dying/their shells won't form properly. Also, do you think he may be kept their first scutes the way some parents keep first fallen teeth?
Picture one of the turtle tots throwing a tantrum and holding their breath, and Splinter getting worried because they've been holding it for a long time.
Why does Splinter have so many grey hairs? Because of this shit!
