This entry elaborates on some of the ideas expressed in my other posts. As I mentioned in "Using Diapers to Manage Nocturnal Enuresis," it was my idea to start wearing diapers again for my bedwetting.
My mother was very proud of me for taking the initiative to manage the problem and also for the fact that I willingly wanted to wear diapers considering the fact that most children my age couldn't stand the thought of using diapers.
I didn't think anything of it. The fact that diapers were a garment worn by babies never even entered my mind. My thinking was this: "I'm still wetting myself at night, a diaper is a garment designed specifically to protect against this, so I'm going to wear one." Even as an adult I feel the same way.
When I was growing up I felt a lot more ashamed waking up in soaking wet pajamas and bedding than wearing diapers. By wetting the sheets and clothing I felt like I wasn't in control, and by not having a sense of control over the situation my self-esteem and self-confidence was shaky.
Babies do not have control over their environment but older children, teens, and adults do-that is why they should not be ashamed of wearing child, teen or adult diapers. On the contrary they should feel more ashamed of not wearing them.
It would be interesting to know how and why people developed such negative(and in my opinion illogical) attitudes toward a garment designed to offer comfort and protection.
I spoke to a friend of mine who has a PhD in psychology about the use of diapers and plastic pants to manage enuresis to get her take on it and she was receptive to the idea. Frankly I was stunned. I thought I would get the usual "diapers are for babies" spiel.
I think the primary reason there is such a stigma attached to the wearing of diapers and plastic pants for older children, teens, and adults who suffer from nocturnal enuresis is group think.
People tend to want to conform and fit in and with that tendency comes the fact that people tend to go along with the prevailing wisdom without questioning its validity. They internalize it and it becomes so ingrained in their thinking that they can't imagine anything else.
We're like the fish in water. It becomes so much a part of their life that they don't even realize it anymore. In this case its the attitude that "diapers are for babies."
What people should keep in mind is the old saw "what is popular is not always right, what is right is not always popular." History definitely shows this--the majority believing that the earth was flat, that the sun revolved around the earth, witch hunts and burnings, slavery, etc.
The fact that the majority believes something is no guarantee that it is right. Again history shows that in many cases it is the minority or a sole visionary who is right and the majority wrong. Older children, teenagers, and adults who are ashamed about wearing diapers and plastic pants to bed just because the majority thinks it's babyish need to keep this fact in mind.
