Re: Please, Please help! Bed-wetting Accidents

Okay, I suspect that this situation has been resolved, however, I would like to add some thoughts in here for whomever it may help. I'll first state that I am NOT a medical or psychiatric professional. This is a situation that I have read about elsewhere. All of the issues here are very typical of them. The fear,embarrassment, starting as teens, and parents thinking it's laziness. I'll address the last two. I've seen a number of posts elsewhere of kids who have started wetting as teens. The first thing of course, is to get the parents to realize that it's not laziness (in most cases). There can be a number of reasons for it.

Medical problems
Diabetes
Allergies
Hormonal issues

Sleep disorders
Obstructive sleep apnea
Abnormal sleep patterns
Ex: Excessive time in deep sleep stage

Psycho-social issues
Stress
School work
Peers
Bullying
Sexual or physical abuse


This just scratches the surface of possibilities.

The first thing is that until you can prove otherwise, believe kids when they come to you with this. Often kids are ashamed, embarrassed. or afraid to go to parents for a variety of reasons.

So, what do you do? Talk to them. Ask questions in an innocuous way. Look for clues such as changes in behavior to include changes in interactions between family members, relatives, friends, both kids AND adults. Are they extremely difficult to wake in the morning? Don't let doctors just dismiss things. Make sure that the most likely possibilities are ruled out. Kids, especially as tweens and teens really don't want to wet the bed. It's like every other issue that makes them different, really embarrassing.

For teens, if you have an issue like this, and your parents won't believe you, go to an adult that you trust, another relative, teacher, school nurse, school counselor, your doctor, and so forth. You know that the problem is real, and so you should never feel ashamed of what's happening. Most times, it WILL be something that you CAN'T help. Be patient and be honest. Tweet