| BEDWETTING When my son was nine years old, he would still wet the bed - on occasion. I was never fussed about it, as I was always confident that he would grow out of it. He is such a heavy sleeper! I can tickle him, run my finger around his face, over his eyes, over his lips. I can kiss his neck - anything, and he sleeps so peacefully. He is so sweet! I love him so much. My husband was not as patient with my son wetting his bed as I was, and I *suspect* a lot of dads may be similar minded. Nevertheless, I continued to discuss this issue with my husband and he became sympathetic towards my son's dilemma! Dilemma it was, but no more. In an effort to make this situation of no effect, and to prevent attention being drawn to it, I kept reminding my son to tell me whenever an 'accident' occurred, as soon as it occurred. Eventually, he began to put his sheets in the wash, without being prompted to do so. We just moved on. We got on with the job of living! I have found that with the adoption of this attitude, my son was not at all embarrassed if and when he would wet the bed. My heart would swell with love for him, as he gathered up his linen and march it off to the laundry. It didn't matter to him that his sisters would see him strip his bed. It didn't matter to him when together, he and I carried his mattress outside, washed it in soapy, disinfectant water and leave it in the sun to air and dry. It was just another regular chore. The girls never teased him about it. All was out in the open and accepted. No big deal. I would use a plastic sheet under his fitted sheet. Then, because he didn't wet the bed for a month or so, I took the plastic sheet away. When he had a few more 'accidents', I hadn't the heart to put the sheet back under him. I figured that he was still small enough to sleep on one of those thick, sponge mattresses, which can easily be replaced if they became too worse for wear. And talking of wear, I have always been very *aware* of smells in our home! A sweet smelling home is high on my priority list! Weary mattresses are thrown mercilessly on the back of our utility and escorted to the local tip! Nowadays, I have noticed that my son's accidents are almost nil and void. He is waking by himself, and trotting off to the bathroom at all hours. Whether he drinks late, just before his bed time or not doesn't seem to have any effect on whether he needs the bathroom during the night. "As soon as the trickling starts, I wake up, mom. Then I have to race to the bathroom", he informs me. Even in my groggy state, I can't help but smile when I hear his footsteps on the carpet, and then his urgent grasp at the bathroom doorknob. "Good boy, Sam", I whisper to him on his way back to his bed. "G'night momma, I love you" he replies....... Sometimes, when we draw attention to a problem, it seems to swell and grow. Contrary to much literature that many paedetricians, psychologists and social workers feed us, bedwetting isn't always due to an unhappy, abusive 'scarred for life' childhood. Several women I know wet their beds to this day. They are well-balanced, well-adjusted mommas! No psychologically affected personalities with secrets from their past, either! Just heavy sleepers, that's all! |