What is a ‘taboo’?
Taboo describes an activity or behaviour that is considered completely unacceptable or forbidden.
Over the last decade, it’s thankfully become much easier and acceptable for people to open up and talk about subjects which were previously considered ‘taboo.’
Our mental health is a brilliant example of this positive change. The huge shift in conversations and attitudes towards this issue means it’s okay to say when we’re not feeling okay! We now understand the power of opening up and sharing our experiences.
Removing shame and stigma around a topic, especially when it’s about our health, is really important. It can make a huge difference to everyone involved.
Working for a charity like ERIC, we’re lucky to witness the difference that can be made to family life by talking openly about another invisible condition: bedwetting.
1. Bedwetting is nothing to be ashamed of
Bedwetting is nobody’s fault. It doesn’t mean your child is being lazy and can’t be bothered to wake up for the toilet. It’s nothing you’ve done wrong as a parent either.
There are lots of different reasons why children and teenagers wet the bed. It happens when your child is sleeping and so is outside of their conscious control.
Choose a good moment to talk to your child about their bedwetting. Ask them how they feel about it. If it’s getting them down, reassure them it’s nothing they’ve done wrong and together you can get help.
2. It’s much more common than you think
At ERIC we speak to lots of adults who grew up thinking they were the only ones who wet the bed. We feel so sad every time we hear this.
Make sure your child knows they aren’t the only person in the world who wets the bed! There are lots of children their age who need to wear pull up pants like DryNites® Pyjama Pants to bed because they have accidents. Otherwise, why would they be sold at the shops?!
Having this conversation can be a very powerful way to stop your child feeling bad and possibly even blaming themselves.
3. We can bust the myths around bedwetting when we break the taboo
There are sadly lots of unhelpful myths about bedwetting...
You may have heard that drinking less during the day will help your child to be dry at night? FALSE.
In fact, the opposite is true! Drinking 6-8 glasses of water-based fluid during the day (stopping drinks at least an hour before bedtime) will help your child’s bladder to expand and hold more at night.
Do you think bedwetting is psychological problems? FALSE AGAIN!
It’s very rare for this to be the reason. What we do know is that getting anxious and upset about bedwetting can cause stress in children and affect their self-esteem.
Talking openly about bedwetting is the best way to bust these harmful myths once and for all.
Let’s put common bedwetting myths and taboos to bed
Bedwetting is one of the most common medical conditions in childhood. However, unlike other conditions such as asthma or diabetes, there is still a degree of shame, stigma and misunderstanding which surrounds bedwetting.
No child should feel as though it’s their fault that they wet the bed.
No family should suffer in silence and feel too embarrassed to get help.
There’s lots of helpful information that parents can read to feel more confident when helping their child manage their bedwetting.
There are also articles that older children can use to get informed about things like the causes of bedwetting.
You and your child can also find out more about the difference a product like Huggies® DryNites® can make to everyday life.
Children should be able to grow up carefree and have fun with their friends.
There’s no reason why they should miss out on all the things other kids their age enjoy that we take for granted like camps and sleepovers. That should be the taboo—not bedwetting.
your parenting partner
