The family is the smallest unit of society and it should be a source of happiness for the individual. This is why a sound dialogue between parents and their children is so important. When we bring up our children, we should regard them as being entrusted to us by the Almighty. Treating them affectionately and inspiring confidence in them plays an important role in terms of preparing them for their future life as physically and psychologically healthy individuals.

In spite of the cozy atmosphere of the home, we might come across some problems that are difficult to solve. Some problems are apparent to our friends and neighbors, while others are known only by family members and are kept secret. In such cases, we may not know how to deal with a problem, and therefore need to seek help from an expert. Wetting the bed is a typical example of such problems. When such a problem persistently occurs it is only compounded if we hurt the child and cause them to feel bad or inferior because of this problem; what many people do not realize is that this is a problem that is easily solved.

Families with children who wet the bed while between the ages of 5 and 15, sometimes even up to the age of 20 have a serious problem. Every morning, these families wake up to find another problem. The nasty smell, changing the sheets and cleaning the pajamas are not things that people enjoy first thing in the morning.

Along with the burden of dealing with dirty clothes and sheets, the family members become worried, as they do not know when the problem will end. But it is the child who worries most. The problem is only compounded as the child realizes that they cannot have friends to stay, nor stay at someone else’s house, as this may lead to others finding about the problem; such worries only cause further problems such as losing self-confidence, inferiority complexes, shyness and poor performance at school.

Some families do not try to search for solutions, saying illogical things like, “His uncle used to wet the bed too. That didn’t go on for too long. The same will happen with our child as well,” or “It’s nothing unusual. Most children do it. It will be alright,” or “It will just stop without treatment. They say that there is no treatment anyway.”

Bedwetting is actually a common problem. What then, are the underlying reasons? How common is it in reality? Is there an effective treatment for it? Does it just stop on its own? If so, when and how does it stop? Or is it possible for someone to remain a bed-wetter all of their lives? Does the treatment have any side effects? What is the success rate of the treatment? We will try to answer all these questions.

Occasional cases of bedwetting until the age of five are considered as nothing unusual. If bedwetting continues after the age of five, then this indicates an illness known as “enuresis.” Research carried out on primary school aged children found that between 20-30% of children wet the bed in general. It is usually more common among boys. The percentage increases with children from families of a lower socio-economic background, mostly due to malnutrition.

The main causes for bedwetting

Genetic factors are accepted as playing a role, based on the fact that 70% of the children who wet the bed have close relatives with the same problem, and that there is a high incidence rate among identical twins. It is thought to be caused mostly by a lack of an anti-diuretic hormone that reduces urine production at night. There are other reasons as well.

If a person with diabetes has too great an intake of fluids before bedtime they may wet the bed. Moreover, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, parasites, anemia, a lack of calcium, magnesium, zinc, or vitamins (A, B, D, E), problems with adenoids, and enlarged tonsils may all cause bedwetting.

Anemia and adenoids cause hypoxia (a deficiency of the amount of oxygen available in the blood) and hypercapnia (the presence of an abnormally high level of carbon dioxide in the blood). If these conditions are present, then the patient sleeps too soundly and the control of the central nervous system over the other systems is weakened. As a result, the patient wets the bed as they have lost some control over their muscles.

At least half of people who suffer from bedwetting are considered to do so because of psychological reasons. If a child begins to wet the bed in spite of having had no such problem before, this indicates that the child subconsciously wants to return to their infancy when they were the center of attention. By wetting the bed, the child might be wishing to receive more care from the parents.

Wetting the bed might be a reaction to family problems or the birth of a sibling. Various types of anxiety may cause the child to suffer from depression, which is another reason that causes very sound sleep.

Bedwetting is thought to result from psychological problems if it is accompanied by problems like suffering from a tic, stuttering, nail-biting, over-jealousy, or failure at school. A child with a urinary tract or bladder infection or kidney stones may not be able to control their need to urinate during the day either. If no physical illness can be detected, then there may be a serious psychological disorder.

Diagnosis and treatment

Starting from the principle “every disease has a cause,” we should first of all search for any possible causes. We can begin with simple ways, such as urine and blood tests. If these do not provide a satisfactory answer, then the other possible causes that were mentioned above should be investigated. The kidneys and the bladder should be checked with an ultrasound, while the adenoids and chronic bronchitis, as well as the tonsils, should be examined. If no viral or organic cause can be found, then psychological problems should be investigated. When the reason has been found, then it is time to start the treatment.

After a diagnosis has been made, the parents should be informed about the cause of the problem. It should also be noted that enuresis may result from incorrect forms of toilet training.

In the treatment of psychologically-caused cases of bedwetting, taking the child to a doctor, carrying out blood and urinary tests, and the family’s efforts to treat the child (i.e. paying for the treatment, waiting at the doctor’s, etc) are all considered to be part of the treatment. The child sees that importance has been given to them, that efforts are being made and that money is being spent on them alone. Having seen that the parents and the doctor have played their part, it is the child’s turn to do what is expected of them. Prescribing the correct medicine, or if there is no physical problem, merely saying, “nothing is wrong” is the start of the treatment.

If the bladder turns out to be smaller than normal, the child is advised to hold their urine longer than normal in order to expand the bladder. The period of waiting is lengthened gradually. The child is asked to keep a record of “wet” and “dry” days and they are rewarded for the “dry” days. Drinking less in the evening may facilitate treatment.

Medication and treatment

The medication changes according to the diagnosis. For instance, if there is a urinary tract or bladder infection, then antibiotics are used. If there are psychological reasons, special pediatric anti-depressants will be prescribed. Anti-depressants cause the patient to sleep lighter. When the child does not sleep so soundly, they are able to control their urination, and wake up and go to the toilet.

There are drugs that help to expand the bladder capacity of people whose bladders are smaller than normal; these drugs can be very useful indeed. Some problems with the urinary tract or bladder can also be eliminated by surgery.

If the patient has trouble breathing due to adenoids or enlarged tonsils, these should be removed by surgery as well. For anemia, the patient is given substances such as vitamins, iron and zinc along with a prescribed diet. In cases of calcium deficiency, a calcium-rich diet and calcium tablets are recommended.

If a child shows more than one of the symptoms, then a combined treatment is followed. Laser acupuncture treatment can also be useful. Bedwetting can be prevented by using anti-diuretic hormone tablets or sprays as well. With the correct diagnosis and treatment, the success rate of such treatments is between 95-98%.

The most common occurrence is that children will stop wetting the bed after puberty without any need for treatment. However, it is not a good idea to wait for this to happen, because treatment that will help bedwetting stop occurring is available. Only 2-5% of patients continue to wet the bed after the age of twenty. Most often, such patients wet the bed due to some organic problem.

The medicines prescribed against bedwetting have been in use for about 30-35 years; they have been proven to be safe and to have no side effects.

A related study

In a study carried out in Bursa, Turkey, the records of 164 patients who suffered from bedwetting were examined. According to this study, the following data was obtained: 52 patients (32%) were girls and 112 patients (68%) were boys. 36 of the boys were aged 6-8, 48 of them were aged 9-12 and the remaining 28 were 13 years of age or older. 20 girls were aged 6-8, 16 girls were aged 9-12 and 16 girls were 13 or older.

When the causes were investigated, it turned out that 18 of the 112 boys (16%) had urinary tract or bladder infections and kidney stones, while 18 boys were suffering from cystitis, which can be diagnosed with an ultrasound, 12 boys (11%) had problems with their adenoids, chronic bronchitis, and tonsils, which made breathing difficult for them. No organic causes were found in 64 patients (57%); in these cases it was found that the cause was purely psychological. 24 out of 52 girls (46%) had urinary tract or bladder infections, while the other 54% had psychological reasons for wetting the bed.

Half of the patients stopped wetting the bed at the end of the first month, and almost all the patients were treated successfully by the end of the second month. The success rate was 98%.

After having examined this data, it is clear that the problem of bedwetting is not difficult to solve without blaming and hurting our children. When we confront such problems in life, we should not despair or panic. We should keep in mind that God Almighty has created a cure for every problem, and that finding the cure requires patience and determination.

These terrorist attacks show that the perpetrators share none of the aims of Islam, such as spreading Islam peacefully. You cannot spread Islam to other people by bombing them. Is there anything in Islam which legitimizes this terrorist attack? Certainly not! Jihad is a totally different concept, and can be declared only when Islam has to be defended. But Islam does not have to be defended in America, for Islam is already acknowledged here as one of the three monotheist religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. This is not a superficial acknowledgment”6 million Muslims now live in America. Islam is not an imported religion, and this terrorist attack has nothing to do with American Muslims. On the contrary, it was perpetrated by outsiders having political”not religious”motivations.

The goals for which they are striving are not Islamic, but probably are related to the current political goals of certain people who manipulate Islam to legitimize their quest. I do not agree with Samuel Huntingtons well-known œclash of civilizations theory, in which Islam is approached as an enemy to the West and must be destroyed. On the other hand, the media (especially, those who supply the information and constantly oppose Islam) are striving to maintain an artificial adversarial sensitivity against Islam.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict underlies the clash of civilizations and, in a way, is the primary source of all these events. Mutual terror has been experienced throughout the 54 years of this conflict. Palestinians retaliated with counter-terror campaigns to Israel’s terror at the governmental level. This has affected millions of people not only in terms of religion but also in terms of national-political status. Israel attacks Palestinians not because they are Muslims but because they are Arab Palestinians. The fact that 20 percent of all Palestinians are Christians shows that this is not a religiously driven conflict. Nayef Hawatmeh and George Habash are leaders of Palestinian Democratic Public Front and are both Orthodox Christians. They began organizing suicidal attacks before HAMAS was even founded. The foremost significant supporters of Palestinians are Edward

Said and Albert Hourani, who are Protestant Christians and, respectively, prominent figures in literature and history.

The organizational formation of the terrorist group that launched the September 11th attacks deserves serious consideration. It seems that 60 to 70 people were actively involved; 19 of them are dead. But what about those who probably provided logistical support? How did they carry out their role unnoticed? For such an organization, there needs to be a mastermind, and I do not think that Bin Laden is the most likely candidate.

All types of terrorism, regardless of reason, are evil. While protesting terrorism, however, we should not ignore the reasons. America has to delve into the reasons and the roots of these events. It has to cast far-reaching look and search for real reasons, instead of dealing with symptoms. If America uses its power not to exercise sovereignty over others but to create a more peaceful world, this would serve its own interests. In addition, Muslims would benefit the most from it.

Life in Utopia

In More’s classless society, everyone does the same work, is equal, has the same rights, and must work at least 6 hours every day at whatever they do best. As Utopia is an agricultural society, all people work the land. This creates the same conditions for everyone and ensures ample supplies to suppress the animal fear of want.

All clothing is plain, simple, and designed for utility and practicality. Finer material would give no better protection from the cold or make people appear better dressed. To prevent ostentation, Utopians exchange homes every 10 years and eat in mess halls. Hereditary distinctions are unknown, for children move from household to household, depending on which skill they want to learn. Since there is little distinction in occupation, dress, lodging, riches, or use of free time, pride is almost non-existent.

Utopia’s collective agriculture displays the division of labor. Everyone learns the rudiments of agriculture to better serve the common good. “No one will have to do this hard work against his will for more than two years, but many of them ask to stay longer because they take a natural delight in farm life.”(1) This ensures Utopia’s food supply and gives everyone access to civilized life. If an excessive surplus is produced, a holiday is declared so that no one works without purpose.

Utopia’s separate groups (e.g., magistrates and the prince, priests and intellectuals) are not a social or economic class. The syphogrants and the prince are elected autocrats. Their power derives from-and can be removed by-the people. Specialists are not isolated, but rather leaders in an institution in which all can participate. Learning is valued and respected as a means of fully developing one’s specific capacities, not as an indication of social standing.

Why Is Utopia Desirable?

One of More’s reasons for suggesting a Utopia was to end exploitation. More was most likely revolted by the luxury of sixteenth-century Europe’s ruling class, which he saw as a result of the peasantry’s impoverishment. If poverty were to be excluded from Utopia, luxury must suffer the same fate. More saw no benefit to the common good if peasant labor benefited only a very small minority.

As a classless society cannot have pride, Utopians consider it a social vice and pass this view on to their children at an early age. As Hythloday says: “Men and animals alike are greedy and rapacious from fear of want. Only human pride glories in surpassing others in conspicuous consumption. For this kind of vice there is no room whatsoever in the Utopian way of life.”(2) Lack of pride rids Utopia of class and potential social discord, for a commonwealth without pride is like a single united family.

An even division of labor and a lack of pride clears the way for life’s pleasures. There can be no better good than striving for the maximum happiness of all, at the least cost or disadvantage to oneself and society. More believes that money, a symbolic capital that people desire, is the problem, and so Utopia has no money or capital. Thus freed from worrying about food, bills, and other necessities, they enjoy such physical pleasures as fine dining, eating, drinking, and merrymaking (though without alcohol). There is music, a pleasure to the mind and body. For similar reasons, each house has a large garden into which much love and leisure time goes. Their desire to have the best garden, the most pleasing sanctuary, is perhaps the only competition among families.

Pride is replaced by spiritual fulfillment. They pursue philosophy and religion in their quest for virtue and contemplation of the truth, respectively. Their society’s primary virtue is natural reason: the reasons for humanity’s creation. For them, living according to nature is to be humanitarian. More mentions this: “As nature bids us mutually to make our lives merry and delightful, so she also bids again and again not to destroy or diminish other people’s pleasure in seeking our own.”(3)

Religion gives great satisfaction to most Utopians. This is unique to More, for neither Plato nor Marx accept religion. Utopia’s king decreed that all citizens should believe in at least two things: the soul’s immortality and the existence of rewards and punishments in the next life. In religion, Utopians find peace and contemplation of the truth. As education is the most efficient way to overcome corruption and crime, it is entrusted to priests. As a result, few laws are needed and existing ones require only the most obvious and easiest interpretation.

Utopia’s government consists of magistrates and a prince who handle the country’s affairs. This does not contradict communism, as government’s sole purpose is to maintain the status quo and prevent idleness. The government is designed in the most responsible way. All matters must be considered for a day and cannot be passed without 3 days of contemplation. It is a capital offense to consult together on public affairs outside the senate or the people’s assembly. Raphael says: “They take care to deliberate wisely rather than speedily … considering the public good.”(4)

Conclusion

More’s Utopia has a major failing: it is static and unchanging, instead of evolving, and allows no place for growth and development. Thus only a miracle or a prince gifted with a measure of divine power could bring it into existence. More understood that his Utopia was not a possible solution, but had no idea of the historical process that might lead to a future socialism.

Utopia is only put forward so that readers will understand that Utopian values are really the fundamental values of human nature, and that the world is imperfect. As Hythloday says at the end: “I must confess that there are many things in the Utopian Commonwealth that I wish rather than expect to see among our citizens.”(5)

More does not call for a revolution, nor is he a leader of the proletariat who wants to overthrow the bourgeoisie. Instead, More is like his Utopians, simply contemplating what would be nice, a daydream maybe. While More’s Utopia anticipates the characteristics of a modern classless society, he proposes no means by which to obtain this blissful paradise.

Footnotes

1. Thomas More, Utopia, ed./trans. H.V.S. Ogden (Illinois: ARM, 1949), 29.
2. Ibid., 38.
3. Ibid., 48.
4. Ibid., 33.
5. Ibid., 83.