Why You Shouldn't Punish Your Child for Bedwetting Accidents

It is very typical that when a child has a bedwetting accident, he is punished. This is due to the fact that the parents think that negative consequences will somehow stop the child from wetting the bed and will thus enable him to have dry nights from here on out. This line of thinking is extremely flawed, and it could cause harm to the child, as he looses his sense of self worth. While this reason alone is good enough not to punish a child for bedwetting accidents, there are more.

One reason you should not punish your child for bedwetting accidents is because he is not knowledgeable of what he is doing, as he is asleep. Just think, when you are asleep, are you aware of what is happening around you? Probably not. Neither is your child. True, you may not wet the bed yourself, as you are able to awaken during the night when you need to go to the bathroom; however, this is not the case with the child. Children's bladders often do not catch up with their bodies, so their bodies require more liquid than their bladders can hold. Dehydrating the children by restricting their fluid intake is not the healthiest solution, as the human body needs a certain amount of fluid to function properly. Not to mention, bladders develop slower than the rest of the body, and an immature bladder will cause the signals that are necessary to awaken during sleep to use the bathroom to be missed. Punishing the child is even worse, as you are punishing the child for something that is not his fault. How would you like to be punished for something that was not your fault? How would you feel? You'd hate it, and you'd not like it at all. Your child feels the same when he is scolded, berated, and punished for having an accident in his bed, which is not his fault. And, did you ever think that this treatment could possibly increase his incidence of bedwetting accidents, as he is nervous, stressed out, and unsure of himself? Well, it could happen this way, as some adults wet the bed when stressed. Most adults will not disclose such information due to embarrassment, but it does happen.

Another reason why it is not fitting to punish a child for bedwetting accidents is because it creates a negative image in the child's mind of those who have medical problems and are incontinent as a result. Because this child has been taught that he is a failure for wetting his bed, he will then bully other school aged children for having the problem and tell them that they, too, are failures, which could tear down their confidence. Even of those other children have a supportive home, the bullying of your child could still cause some grave emotional wounds.

If you do your research online, or if you talk to a competent doctor, you will find that it is very common for children to wet the bed all the way into adolescence, more so boys than girls. This is the reason that every drug or grocery store sells Good Nights that look cool so children would not feel bad about themselves. Just think about it, if this were not a common problem, Good Nights would not be so prevalent. Because this is such a common problem, you'd only be punishing your child for something that is just as normal as childhood illnesses, which would be unfair to say the least.

The best thing to do with your child's bedwetting accidents is to just let it happen and let nature take its course. In time, it will go away as your child develops and his bladder actually catches up to its normal size and becomes mature. In the meantime, if you are feeling frustrated about having to deal with the cleanup, make him in charge of changing his sheets and cleaning himself up. A child as young as four is old enough to be responsible for such chores. This way, you will not have to get frustrated at your child, and your child can remain dignified because you will not be scolding, berating, or punishing him for something he has no control over.