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A Guy's Guide to Bedwetting
Understanding Bedwetting from a Boy's Perspective
By Kelly Burgess
"We know that kids who have a solid bedtime routine are better able to avoid bedwetting," Dr. Huff says. "In my experiences, I've seen that girls have a set of activities to get ready for the next day, whereas boys are involved in the moment."
Dr. Huff recommends a consistent bedtime routine for boys that involves some structured time at least an hour before bedtime, and includes a time for stopping liquids and a time for going to the bathroom. The difficulty in that advice, Dr. Huff says, is that she's seeing more and more boys with overloaded schedules, even as young as kindergarten age.
"I have seen boys who have every minute scheduled from 7 a.m. up until bedtime every night of the week," Dr. Huff says. "Sometimes these kids haven't had an actual meal or a healthy drink until 9 p.m. because they've been so busy, and they went through the drive through for dinner, and someone handed out sports drinks at practice. This is how our socialization of boys is evolving, and the boys buy into it because they see their friends doing it as well."
The problem, Dr. Huff says, is that boys often can't recognize when they're tired and stressed. They also will often feel a strong sense of obligation to a group, as if they're letting the group or team down. They'll feel that they're not supposed to be tired because they've been socialized to not be vulnerable. This may lead boys to decompensate, and bedwetting may be a part of that. It's up to the parents to take control of the situation and cut back so there is time to decompress before bedtime.
