COLUMN: Some problems eventually dry up and go away

Dear Child with the Big Secret,

First off, you are not alone.  Not for a moment. There are boys and girls all around the world with your same secret, and they all feel just the same way you do. But I promise you, you will outgrow it.

Once upon a time, I shared the same secret… wetting the bed. No matter what I tried, I would wake up in a puddle and tears of embarrassment.  Each morning was the same, I would wake up wet, have to have a bath, and my pj’s and sheets would have to go into the washing machine downstairs in our kitchen.  My big sister teased me about it, and my heart would hurt all morning long. I hated to get invited to overnight sleepovers because I was afraid it would happen there.  Sometimes I tried to stay awake all night just to be sure I was dry in the morning. I prayed, I went potty right before sleep, I did everything I could think of.  But, like you, it just never got better.

What I want to tell you most is that it’s not your fault.  Some children just sleep really heavy and don’t wake up, even when our bodies need to wake up.  I can remember dreaming about having to use the potty…one time I even dreamed that I was using the bathroom in the Brady Bunch house!  If you haven’t seen that show before, the three girls shared a bedroom that was connected to the “kid’s bathroom” between the bedroom of their three brothers.  There I was, in my dream, in the famous Brady family bathroom going potty… only to wake up to a wet bed once again.  It’s kind of funny now but I promise you it was NOT funny then.

My mother took me my doctor, Dr. Jim Smith, who was very kind.  He listened to my heart, looked down my throat, into my ears, and took my temperature.  His nurse came in and weighed me and measured my height.  Doctor Jim told me to sit on the cold table and tapped my knees with a little knobby tool that made my foot kick up, then told me to lie down so he could press on my tummy.  “You look very healthy, young lady,” he said. “Why are you here?”

I was too shy to tell him. My mother said very quietly, “She wets the bed.” 

Dr. Jim took a deep sigh and smiled. “Little lady, listen to me for a moment. You are healthy and strong, and one day you will grow out of this. In the meantime, do three things.  One, try not to drink anything past 6:30 at night. Two, be sure to use the bathroom right before you go to bed. Three, and this is the most important thing, tell yourself right before you fall asleep that if you need to use the restroom that you will wake yourself up.  But believe me, you will outgrow this. I promise.” 

I looked up at him and asked, “You promise?”

“I promise.”  said Dr. Jim. 

Take it from me… it really will go away. One day you will wake up dry, then another day, until one day you will not remember when the last wet morning was. You may have some close calls and wake up and have to run to the bathroom, and you may even have a crazy dream of being in a famous bathroom!  But one day, you will outgrow this.  I promise. 

Signed,

Jana Banana

_ Jana Longfellow can be contact at janalongfellow@gmail.com