Being a parent can be great one minute, but then frustrating and draining the next. It’s no big secret that children can sometimes do the darndest things and I’m not just talking about fighting with siblings, having a meltdown when they can’t play when it’s bedtime or having huffs and puffs over schoolwork. Meaning there’s much worse than these – peeing in random places in the house.

We have all heard stories about kids urinating on the floor, but we always tend to think it’s a bizarre phenomenon that will never happen to us. Surprisingly, this issue is much more common than you’d think.

I even know some parents who’ve opened drawers only to find books replaced by urine. Sometimes, the books were still in the drawers too. Their kids would hide under the dining room table, besides their beds or even in the back corner of the hallway and just pee. They would then hide the mess with whatever they could find – be it a blanket, the living room rug or anything.

But, don’t you want to know why this is happening and how can you make them stop?

Intentionally Peeing For Attention

This is one of the most common reasons why your child has picked up this horrible habit.

You see, toddlers have grown up used to unconditional parental love and affection.  However, once they start receiving less attention, they will throw all sorts of tantrums to win your attention back – be it crying in the middle of the night, sudden outbursts, drawing graffiti on walls or you know what.

You need to identify if it’s really the reason triggering this bad habit in your kid. For instance, say your kid was potty trained at three years old and now, when he’s six years old, he has suddenly taken to peeing in places other than the bathroom.

Try to figure out what is the reason for this sudden behavior. Try to ask him why he’s doing it.

How To Put A Stop To This Attention-seeking Behavior:

If this is indeed an attention-seeking behavior, think about whether you are really giving enough time and attention to your kid. How about spending more than just one-two hour of the day with them?

Giving more attention can resolve the problem, but you need to have the right approach. Keep in mind that attention is a sort of reward and reward is not given for inappropriate behaviors like peeing on the floors.

Could Stress Be A Factor?

Truth to be told, my instant reaction if my kid peed on the floors in front of me would be to punish him. However, what if he is not rebelling against anything, but is doing so because he is stressed?

Several studies have revealed that misbehavior in children can arise as a result of stress. If adults can throw temper tantrums when stressed, why not kids?

Your responsibility as a parent is to identify the cause of stress in your kid’s life. It could be one of the following:

• New school
• A new pet
• A new sibling
• Moving house
• Bullying at school
• Parents fighting

Solution

If stress is triggering this misbehavior in your kid, try to reduce as much stress as possible in his environment.

Kids Cannot Hold It

This is a cause that you cannot blame your kid for as all toddlers are built this way: with small bladders. Unlike adults, kids tend to use the restroom a lot and often cannot hold it for very long. This is the reason why bedwetting is more common with kids than with adults. It’s also the reason why a nightmare can often cause a child to pee in their bed.

If your kid did it on the floor when he’s not usually used to, it probably means he was trying to hold it in, but there was a little accident.

 

Again, don’t punish or yell at your kid if he starts peeing on the floors. Try to understand the reason behind it.