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Beat the Bedwetting Blues
3 Steps to a Positive Atmosphere
By Christy R. Stevenson
Also, be aware of the fact that your child is not choosing to wet the bed. As the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states: "Children rarely wet on purpose and usually feel ashamed about the incident. Rather than make the child feel naughty or ashamed, parents need to encourage the child and show faith that he or she will soon be able to enjoy staying dry at night." You need to see your child as the victim of a real condition, not the perpetrator of a crime.
By maintaining a healthy, positive perspective, your child will adopt a similar attitude and feel much better about his bedwetting.
When dealing with bedwetting, choosing your words has as much to do with "when" as "what." Sometimes it is better not to say very much. When a bedwetting incident occurs, try to minimize the amount of negative comments and simply focus on making your child more comfortable. Allowing your child to assist in the cleanup can give her a sense of responsibility, but Sutherland says the child should simply help by pulling the sheets off and putting them in the laundry. "I fear anything beyond that may lead to humiliation or be read as punitive, both of which should be avoided at all costs," she says.
When your child has successfully woken up dry, whether it was only one morning or for a month straight, celebrate. Offer verbal praise hugs or a special home-cooked breakfast. Show your child how proud you are, as we all know what an accomplishment it is to beat a hard habit or to overcome a health problem.
Want to see more?
- Talking About Bedwetting With Children
- Wet But Dry: How Absorbent Underwear May Help Your Bedwetting Child
- Childhood Baby Blues: The Effects of a New Baby on Bedwetting
- The Effects of Divorce on Children: A Potential Cause for Bedwetting
- Of Bladders and Bedwetting: A Simple Explanation of the Urinary System
- Summer Camp or Bust: Your Bedwetting Child Can Do It!
- Talk about it!