Up until about two months ago, I was a victim of habit. Yes I, Sonia Saenz, was an avid nail biter. I had tried everything from pharmaceutical products, to dipping my fingers in chili.
Eventually, I had to get to the root of the problem, and seriously put my mind to quitting. But I had to do it for myself, because none of the other temporary solutions were helping.
Recently, I was watching TV and came across a commercial promoting diapers for children who were still wetting the bed. So what’s the problem you ask? Well, these diapers are for kids age eight and up. That’s the problem.
If your child is eight years old or older, he should not be wetting the bed. And if he does, you’ve got a bigger problem on your hands than whether or not you should get the pink or blue Pull-up.
Upon doing research, I’ve found out that the cause of bed-wetting is actually due to the lack of a hormone called Vasopressin, that affects the child’s bladder control at night. And according to www.drynights.com, 20 percent of all five year olds in America wet the bed.
So is our solution for this problem to pay $14.95 for “absorbent briefs,” also known as diapers?
I say again, it’s time to get to the root of the problem. By saying it’s ok to actually wear a diaper until you are fifteen is just excusing the problem. And on that same website, it states that excessive bed wetter’s have the option of purchasing waterproof beds. What?!
Does anyone else see the issue at hand? By excusing this problem by relying on temporary relief, no one is bothering to find out why kids are wetting the bed. Many parents just assume that it’s all just a phase, but I don’t think that’s the case.
We are teaching our kids that it’s ok to put a problem off rather than staring it in the face. Some websites even suggest that after kids go to sleepovers and wear their “disposable briefs,” they should discreetly dispose of them.
This is of course to avoid humiliation among friends, but getting rid of the evidence is just going to teach this kid to be sneaky with things they are ashamed of.
Think that hypothesis is dramatic? Flash forward twenty years. Billy is ashamed of his extensive drinking, so instead of dealing with it face to face, he’ll just hide the bottles so no one will find them.
And that 18 year old Brenda, who just can’t seem to keep down any of her meals, finds that hiding the bottles of vomit in her closet, rather than telling people what’s up, is a better solution then getting to the root of her problem.
There are other solutions for bed-wetting rather than letting a kid wear a diaper until their senior prom. You can try acupuncture, medication, or if its extreme, seeing a psychologist. What does this say about the parents? I think it says that they’d rather just hand their kid a diaper, than actually sit down with them and help them out.
But isn’t that the story of America these days? Temporary fixes, excuses, and temporary satisfaction. Parent’s, take first place in your kids life and help them deal with this problem. Don’t throw a diaper in their face, and be surprised ten years from now when they’re dealing with bigger problems than wet sheets.
