Mike O'Hara noticed Bobby's enthusiasm the first night he visited Troop 240 as a Webelo. From the day he joined, Bobby was always first in line for a Saturday morning hike or a day-long fishing trip. Mike wished all his Scouts would meet the popcorn sales with Bobby's eagerness. Mike expected to see Bobby advance quickly through the ranks to First Class. Then, he changed his mind. At a troop meeting, Sue Johnson, the troop records keeper came to Mike with a disturbing observation. Her records showed that Bobby had never spent a single night camping with the troop.

"I remember other Scouts like Bobby," Mike told Sue. "They seemed so eager at the beginning. Then, they skipped campouts. It wasn't long before they stopped attending the troop meetings, too. Nothing I tried could get them interested in camping. I never could figure out why."

Sue, who is a pediatric nurse, offered a possible explanation. "Maybe Bobby has a physical condition that keeps him from camping overnight."

"But the parents fill out medical information forms when a boy signs up. I don't recall Bobby having any allergies, or asthma, or anything that would impact his Scouting," Mike protested.

"Maybe they don't want it in his records because they find it embarrassing. Maybe Bobby has a bed-wetting problem," Sue said.

Sue offered to get some literature from her office about bed-wetting. After Mike read it, he spoke with Bobby's parents after the next parent committee meeting. He told them how much he enjoyed watching Bobby's enthusiastic approach to Scouting and the potential he displayed. Then, he explained his concerns about Bobby's not being able to experience the entire Scouting program. He asked if Bobby had a physical condition that kept him from joining the troop on overnights. They seemed a little embarrassed but confirmed that Bobby had a bed-wetting problem. Mike reassured them that this was common and gave them Sue's literature.

Bobby's mom took the first step suggested in the literature and talked with Bobby's doctor to learn more about bed-wetting, and available treatment options.

Until he received treatment, Bobby never went camping with the troop because he always wet the bed. Bobby thought he was alone with his problem and was afraid the Scouts would make fun of him. After all, the teasing and taunting was close to home.

"My brothers made fun of me, and I felt my whole family thought there was something wrong with me," said Bobby.

There are approximately five to seven million children in the United States over the age of six just like Bobby. They suffer from primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE), more commonly known as bed-wetting. While most children outgrow bed-wetting by age six, and another 15 percent of older children stop wetting the bed each year without treatment, for some it can continue on for years. This can potentially cause embarrassment and undeserved shame that may in turn restrict social interaction and development.

No Scout wants to hang his sleeping bag up to dry for all the guys to see. If he leaves the wet bag in his tent he risks his tent mates complaining about the smell. Either way, he will likely become an object of ridicule in his troop at some point. So he simply stays home.

For the most part, the majority of families understand bed-wetting for what it is – unintended and unwanted – in short, an accident. Unfortunately, however, up to 35% of children who wet the bed are punished, which can compound the problem.