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Allison Smith, mom of three from Peterborough, Ont., remembers feeling ashamed and helpless when she struggled with bedwetting as a kid. Now that she?s helping her 10-year-old son, Ben, navigate the same problem, she?s conscious about doing it with compassion. ?I can see that he?s embarrassed and frustrated, too,? says Smith. ?So we remind him that it?s normal and OK, and otherwise rarely talk about it.? She feels not making a big deal about it, helps Ben to feel less self-conscious.
Bedwetting is common: 10 to 15 percent of five-year-olds and six to eight percent of eight-year-olds wet the bed. A visit to the doctor after the age of seven can rule out any medical or psychological causes (especially if there have been any big changes in a child?s routines), but for most kids, it?s simply a matter of growing out of it. And while you?re dealing with it, wetting the bed can be an emotionally charged issue for both kids and parents. Here are some strategies to help your kid cope with bedwetting. How to talk about bedwetting

?It?s important for parents to educate the child and remove the shame,? says parenting expert Alyson Schafer. Schafer suggests putting it in terms that are easy for a child to understand: ?Your body hasn?t learned to listen to the message that it needs to wake up and go to the bathroom, but it will when it?s ready.?
Child and family therapist, Michele Kambolis in Vancouver agrees, and says parents can help their child keep a healthy perspecti...