My friends have an 11-year-old daughter who also suffers from nocturnal enuresis or bedwetting at night. She is embarrassed about using diapers to manage her bedwetting. My friends know I have the same problem and also wear diapers and plastic pants to bed.
They asked me to talk to her to try to cheer her up about her circumstances. I wrote the following letter to her and it seemed to help her deal with the situation. I thought that many parents in a similar situation could use this to help their children come to terms with the use of diapers and plastic pants to manage bedwetting.
This letter might have to be modified somewhat to fit each individual child's situation but I think the basic sentiments and ideas are applicable.
This might give parents some ideas on how to approach their child or teen about using diapers to deal with bedwetting. I think parents might want to say or write something along these lines:
I realize you feel embarrassed and ashamed about having to wear diapers to bed. You feel that you're too old to wear diapers and you feel that your mom is treating you like a baby. I just want to let you know that children aren't the only ones who wet the bed.
There are plenty of older children, teenagers, and adults who wet the bed and many of them wear diapers to bed. Some of them wear pin-on cloth diapers and plastic pants to bed and some of them wear tape on disposable diapers to bed.
There are also some adults,teenagers, and older children who wear both kinds of diapers at night but they alternate using different kinds-for example some use pin on cloth diapers and plastic pants on some nights and on other nights they wear the tape tab disposable diapers to bed in order to save money and for other reasons-so you are not alone.
Just remember your mom loves you very much, and I know it might not seem like it now, but your mom has your best interests at heart.
I also know that you want to go back to wearing pull-ups because your best friend wears them to bed and you feel embarrassed about wearing diapers to bed when you sleep over at her house. Since your friend has the same problem and also wears protection to bed, I'm sure she'll understand. Diapers are basically the same type of garment, and if she doesn't understand, then she's not a true friend, and you deserve better.
The reason your mom took you out of pull-ups and put you back in diapers instead is because the diapers are much more absorbent. The plastic outer covering and elastic leg gathers are much more
effective at preventing leaks and keeping you and the bed dry. Some children have different bladder capacities and they wet more than others.
You're a very heavy wetter and probably wet more than your friend, and that's why your mom decided to put you back in diapers. Besides, the diapers aren't much different from pull-ups. The only difference is that they have tapes, elastic leg gathers, and plastic on the outside.
