Doc 44783 (2) Enuresis Record page 1967

Bedwetting record of a child in care at the age of ten

Page 2

"S" = Sanction (punishment). The slipper was given for any bedwetting to me by Miss Foale, others seemed to just get a telling off from her and extra chores.

The adults seemed to think that as I did not wet the bed on my odd weekend visits and longer holidays in London, I must be wetting the bed on purpose when I'm in the Children's Home, so I should be punished.

 

At the age of nine I had 22 wet beds during the year and at ten 28 (in 11 months). This averaged out at less than once a week, when adding the couple of camps without our staff then possibly an average of once a week. It didn't show I really had a major problem, compared with some other boys of my age in the Home that had far more wet beds.

In my mind, the hit with the slipper for wetting the bed did little good. If I had been allowed out of the bed at night, when I felt the need it would have solved the problem far easier. It was thought that I might be disobedient or lazy in not visiting the lavatory before I went to bed.morning.

 

By the age of ten I was more use to the punishment, I might be upset, but for most mornings I was not in tears.

 

In April I wet the bed two nights in a row, The first night I was trying to get over a caning I had at school, this time it had been really harsh for something that in mind had been quiet minor, the second night I was still having bad dreams over the matter, it was the ritual of then getting the slipper in the morning added to the upset.

 

During June I went on holiday for two weeks with another group of boys, there were wet beds but no punishments and none of the events were entered in my file.

 

During the summer seaside holidays with our group from the Home, I had wet the bed on the first night, it was the only time the bed was without a rubber sheet, it was originally thought they would be on our beds when we arrived. During the holidays the still damp mattress set me off wetting the bed for the entire holiday. Although I was still punished, the hits were far lighter than normal, to the Houseparent upsetting me too much during the holiday was not worth it.

 

Around this time there was a change to our flat location. The flat below us had become empty, we moved everything in our flat downstairs. There was an extra utility room in this lower flat with a large top loading washing machine. The chore of washing our own sheets and pyjamas after wetting the bed now ended, all we had to do first thing in the morning was to put our things next to the washing machine, when the Houseparent was sure she had everything sorted out, she would turn it on.

 

One of the younger boys needed a sedative to help him during the night, there was some minor protests over the taste of his medicine, the staff tried to get him to take it by telling him it was fine to take and giving me a spoonful too.

On the days I was given some, I had a very peaceful nights sleep, the only disadvantage was that I always wet the bed. On most of those mornings I was let off any punishment, and no record of my wet bed was made, however sometimes it was forgotten that I also had the sedative and was punished. Had these wet beds been recorded in my file, it would have shown that I was wetting the bed around five times a week, as they were not entered it did not show that there was a night problem.

With various medical tests, it was later recommended that I was officially put on a night sedative.

 

During September and October 1967 when I was ten, there were several more doses of the slipper in the mornings over having "wet dreams" during the night, as I had not actually wet the bed, they were not recorded, but still a matter for punishment.

Now that I was experiencing wet dreams, I had little idea of what stages my body was going through. Stained pyjamas and lower sheet, meant that I still had to be given the slipper when I got up.

In mid November 1967 the Houseparent sent me to bed wearing waterproof pants, to solve the problem of wet dreams during the night. This was now a far worse crime than wetting the bed, and would result in four hits with the slipper, should I not wear the waterproofs.

I was now been given a sedative each night to help me sleep, which stopped me waking up in the middle of the night if I needed a pee, the waterproofs prevented my sheets from getting damp, so it was not recorded as a wet bed.

Everything went fine and few knew of my problem. Around Christmas I was embarrassed when I was told to put my waterproofs on in front of some of the younger ones, this resulted in some teasing.

I asked if I could put on the long waterproof trousers over my pyjamas as all now knew that I wore waterproof pants, as they would be more comfortable than the tight waterproofs.

Permission for my to go to bed in waterproof trousers for the next three months until I left the Home was allowed, with their odd rules, punishments for wetting the bed now ended, although I might be wet in the morning, as I had not actually wet my sheets I was let off any punishment.

If I had known about this rule, it could have avoided many sessions of the slipper. I would have taken the teasing of going to bed with waterproof trousers over my pyjamas as a far lesser punishment than that of the slipper.

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After some of us had left the care of the children's home, we were returned for two weeks holidays in some of their children's homes. On originally leaving I never thought I would ever return into their care.

Although during the day most of the holiday consisted of happy events, at night several of us experienced our night fears returning.

Bed wetting was tolerated and minor talks were given to try and stop some of our fears. The only punishment of the slipper was given to one boy, after he had tried to hide the matter and not tell the staff he had wet the bed. For the rest of the holiday the slipper was not used on us over wetting the bed.

During the holiday the cane was given to us over our poor behaviour, the resulting bedwetting showed how upsetting the punishment had been. On this first holiday they did not question us to why we wet the bed, on a later holiday there were some questions about our night problems and was there anything wrong during the holiday.

During the two week holidays we did enjoy ourselves, but there were some minor fears surfacing.

At least in modern Children's Homes they are not allowed to hit you for bed-wetting.

 

For medical studies on children in the National Children's Home, by J. Tanner, Millicent Lucy Coleman.

 

 

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