How much are you supporting your child?

When your child thinks, This means I'm lazy.

It is one of the myths about bedwetting that it is caused by laziness. Your child may hear this myth from another child or from an adult. It can make your child feel as though he or she is not good enough.

Explain to your child how urination works and why some children cannot control their bladder until they are older. Point out all the things that your child does (chores, help, activities, school play) that prove that he or she is not lazy. Discuss what a myth is and explain why some people believe them. Try saying something like, Before, doctors didn't know why some kids wet the bed and some didn't, and someone thought that maybe it was because some kids were lazy. Now, doctors know that its not true. Kids wet the bed because their bodies still need to grow in some ways, but some people haven't heard of this, and so they still believe the old idea. This should help convince your child that the myth is not true.

When your child thinks, This means I'm stupid.

Sadly, many people try to look for explanations in illnesses or conditions, trying to find out the cause behind something or trying to find out what something supposedly means rather than focusing on care or treatment. Your child may also be under the impression that the lack of bladder control means something. Your child may assume that there is something wrong with his or her mind, as other kids have learned to stay dry.

When your child hears that the body does not wake the mind up to go to the bathroom - a common way Enuresis is explained to children - the child may assume that there is something wrong with their mind that is causing the bedwetting.

Praising your child's intellectual ability (putting good grades on the fridge or rewarding well done assignments) can help convince your child that he or she is intelligent. You can also take care to explain that children who wet the bed do not have anything wrong with their minds at all - they are just waiting for some body parts to grow up. This can help reassure them that they are bright, that they just need to wait a bit longer to control their bladder.

When your child thinks, I'm dirty.

Children who wet the bed may be teased by other children about the urine odor which may linger about their clothes and rooms. Even if this is not the case, many children associate urine with something gross or dirty and may feel disgust with their own bodies. If skin irritation develops, children may feel even dirtier, seeing marks of their bedwetting on their skin.

You can help your child feel clean by keeping their room and clothes clean and odor-free. Frequent washing, airing out of rooms and clothes, and use of a deodorizing cleaning product will usually keep odor away. Room sprays can also help. Using absorbent undergarments or sheet liners can help control odor and wetness. Also, help your child care for his or her skin or body and ensure that they always have fresh sheets and clothes on hand to use after an accident.

You will also want to speak frankly with your child about urine and body waste. Explaining where it comes from and what it is can help your child overcome some of his or her disgust. Be sure that you do not encourage any of these negative feelings by wrinkling your nose or expressing distaste when cleaning after your child. Any other person in charge of cleaning up after your child should be taught the same.