Bedwetting (or nocturnal enuresis, as doctors would call it!) is the 3rd most traumatic and devastating event in a child’s entire life [following parental divorce and parental fighting]. It is an ugly monster–a nightmare that might haunt a child for life! It is said to be one of the causes of low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence.
This is one of a 2-part article. Here, we will try to understand bed-wetting and its causes; in the next article, we will learn how to help the bed-wetting child (or adult!)
#1: Bed-wetting is always involuntary.
No! The child cannot help it; it is beyond him [let’s use the masculine pronoun because bedwetting is slightly more common among males than females]. It is beyond the child; it is NOT deliberate–he cannot stop bedwetting. Threats and punishments are useless. It is not a sign of laziness or stubbornness; and the child is not trying to “get back” at the parent! The child is helpless.
#2: Bedwetting is mostly natural
It is normal. It is a natural phase of development. It is simply a delay or loss of bladder control. The child is still developing the body system that controls urination. No! it is not spiritual. Honestly, there is no need going for spiritual deliverance (which might end up making the child grow up believing he is possessed or under a curse) when it is just a natural process that the child would soon out-grow. It is usually self limiting– it goes away on its own.
#3: Bed-wetting is often inherited
Why are you beating this child every morning!? The child might just be under the control of higher powers called genes (which he got from you)! You are, most likely, the cause of the bed-wetting! Probably, the child inherited it from you or your spouse (who bed-wet as a child). If both parents bed-wet as children, there is about 80% chance of their child bed-wetting. You see?
#4: Bed-wetting is largely psychological
In most children, especially those that bed-wet into teenage- and adult-life, bed-wetting has a psychological cause. It is usually an expression of severe emotional stress, like constant nagging, sexual abuse, excessive punishments, bullying in school, physical (and verbal) abuse, divorce or death in the family, loss of pet, and so on. Prayer (and other religious practices) and positive confession (and psycho-therapeutic methods) are known to stop bed-wetting by healing some of these deep-seated emotional traumas and stress.
#5: Bed-wetting is sometimes medical
Rarely, bed-wetting could be as a result of underlying medical problem like urinary tract infections, small bladder, congenital malformations, diabetes (in children), constipation, and so on. Think of this especially if the child had once achieved control, and has had about 6 months of dry nights. It might, then, be a psychological or medical cause. Or not.
Read The Second Part of The Article on Bedwetting.