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Good Mornings
Bedwetting and Your Child
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
According to Dr. Sheldon, the feelings that stem from episodes of bedwetting can carry over into other parts of a child's life. "A child that wets the bed may feel all kinds of emotion," he says. "Whether embarrassment, fear of someone finding out or failure, these feelings do not stay confined to the bedroom. A child who wets the bed may feel they are a failure or that they cannot control their own body and this can inhibit participation in other areas such as sports, friends or outings. Bedwetting – and especially the feelings a child may have accompanying an episode – can affect more than a child's sleep."
"My daughter is 5 years old now and will often have bedwetting incidents when upset or stressed," says Crystel, a mom from Clemson, S.C. "The stress and feelings she feels when she wets the bed are obvious in other areas of her life as well. We are just patient. She is a sensitive child and we have to keep that in mind when dealing with her in any aspect of her life. All we do is dry the bed and put on clean sheets. It'll all come out in the wash and a hug and kiss will help with the rest."
One of the most important aspects of dealing with bedwetting episodes is the way a parent or caretaker reacts. According to Dr. Paul Coleman, psychologist, reacting harshly can often cause the problem to worsen. "It is important to teach a child about the problem without causing any more humiliation than is already there," he says. "As a child may be feeling stress already – and the stress may be the cause for the bedwetting incident – adding more stress will only make it worse, getting both the parent and the child into a vicious cycle with no end in sight."
