The first time it happened, nobody noticed. The student wore a long shirt. The second time it happened, she was eating lunch. She said she didn’t feel it and it just happened. The third time she had an accident on herself, I asked was everything okay? I, also, sent a note home to mom. The fourth time, I met with mom and expressed concerns. Her child could not feel when she needed to go. At first mom was upset and chewed her daughter out. But when this happened up to a ninth and tenth time, in spite of more trips to the restroom, I consulted the school nurse. The school nurse told me that she was okay and did not have any special requirements.
It wasn’t until the student’s former teacher spoke with me about the little girl. She said every time the girl had a growth spurt, there were problems in the potty department. The best explanation was that her bladder was developing at the same rate with the rest of her body. It was still small, didn’t have enough nerve reaction but would eventually catch up with the rest of her body soon enough. The problem would not be having enough potty breaks, but wearing pull-ups.
The nurse made the mom aware of the situation and to bring pull-ups. In the following weeks, the student was not embarrassed about class or her pull-ups. Although she tried not to wet herself, the pull-ups did their job and as she grew she found she was not wetting anymore…thus the pull-ups were no longer necessary.
I know now that not everything will grow we are led to believe. This particular wetting problem is a more common problem than I knew. Unfortunately, in the first grade students are on a restroom schedule and are forced to train their little bladders. This is not helpful to children whose bladders are slowly developing. Until, I learn of better ways to help prevent accidents, I have increased restroom breaks, removed the rugs from under the seats, and started asking for extra clothing from parents – for just in case emergencies.
SuburbanBlues 