September Poll Results



Question:  Who should a child or teen tell about their bedwetting?
 

    71 people voted.  Their ages ranged from 8 to 50.   12 people who 
        voted were age 21 or over, 50 were 11-20 years old, 3 were 8-10 
        years old, and 6 did not give their age.  Votes were as follows:

    60 votes for: "Their parents."

    43 votes for: "Their doctor."

    24 votes for: "Their best friend."

     7 votes for: "Their school nurse."                  

     7 votes for: "Their school counselor." 

     7 votes for: "Their minister or rabbi." 

     1 vote for: "All the kids in their class at school." 

    21 votes for: "Boy/girlfriend (person that they date)." 

     7 votes for: "Nobody... they should keep their bedwetting a secret." 

    45 said that "They had told someone other than their family about 
        their bedwetting (or about their child's bedwetting, if they 
        were a parent)." 

    6 had other suggestions on Who should kids should tell about their 
       bedwetting
, such as:

Age 14: " internet friends"

Age 11: "best friend if u do a sleepover at his house"

Age 11: "I told my priest. He was nice and cool about it. Told me to pray about it."

Age 15: "they should post it on the wetbuster bulletin board"

Age 22: "Anyone whom they can trust and feel comfortable talking to about the issue! Bedwetting is nothing to be ashamed about, but like any other medical condition, it's not something everyone else needs to know about, either. I kept my wetting a secret for a long time until I finally gathered up the courage to tell a really close friend about it when we were both in high school. It was really hard for me to tell him at first, but having someone understanding who I could talk to about bedwetting (and it turned that he had also wet the bed until age 8!) was really helpful for me. Also, if the child is going to be in a camp or sleepover type setting where there's a chance the wetting might be discovered, it's probably a good idea to talk beforehand to a camp counselor or parent in charge rather than be "found out" the hard way. This person can then help the child keep the wetting a secret from the other children, or else help the child to talk to the other children present in order to keep any teasing and such to a minimum.."

Age 30: "they should only tell a parent if it happens on a regular basis and that is unusual for that child. Or, they should tell who ever they feel comfortable telling."

Fortunately, 6 out of 7 people voting thought that kids or teens should tell their parents about their wetting.  Those voting to not tell the parents were ages 8, 9, 13(4), 15, 16, and 24.  This may be due to the fact that some parents get angry or even punish their children for wetting the bed.  Parents need to realize that no child wants to wake up to a wet bed, that it is not their fault.  Giving their child a hug, reassuring them that bedwetting is a medical problem, that there are treatments for bedwetting, and working on the problem together is the best approach for parents.

Only 4 out of 7 people said that they had told someone other than their family about their bedwetting (or their child's bedwetting).  It is such an unfair burden on a child or teen that they must keep their bedwetting a secret in our society.  Bedwetting is a medical problem and is nothing to be ashamed of.  Nearly 200 million kids and teens in the world wet the bed.  But most think that they are the only one with the problem, because nobody talks about it.  The Internet is a wonderful way for kids and teens with bedwetting to ban together, support each other, and help each other.