embarrassed at making excuses or having his mom do it in hushed tones to the other kids’ moms. He
feared that if they knew they would tease him like his sister did.
His parents had told him it was time he grew out of it. Heck, it wasn’t like he wanted to be do-
ing it. They said they would put sticky stars on the calendar in his bedroom for each night he was dry
... but he never got any. They offered him extra pocket money for dry nights but, despite his trying
to do everything he could, he didn’t get any extra money. He felt bad, as though it were his fault. He
wanted to please them but nothing seemed to work and he didn’t know what else he could do.
One day what Andy dreaded the most happened. His best friend, Ben, invited him to a sleep-
over for Ben’s birthday party. Andy desperately wanted to go but he couldn’t help thinking about what
would happen if he wet his bed with all his friends there. The thought was horrifying. He would have
to say no... but then he didn’t want to upset Ben. What if Ben thought Andy wasn’t going to the
party because he didn’t like him?
Andy was surprised—and pleased—when Ben didn’t seem upset. He just said, “That’s cool, how
about you come around this Saturday instead and we’ll have the afternoon to play by ourselves?”
Andy readily accepted. He liked going to Ben’s house. He’d been there before and was always fasci-
nated. You see, Ben’s father owned a circus, and so the house was always full of all sorts of exciting
things. There were costumes to dress up in and pretend you were a lion tamer, trapeze artist, ring-
master, or magician. There were hats to pull rabbits out of (if only you knew how), big clowns’ shoes
that you couldn’t wear without tripping over them in bursts of laughter, one-wheeled cycles on
which you could hardly ride for three seconds before falling off, juggling batons that always seemed
to want to fall on your head when you tossed them in the air, and whips that Ben’s dad could crack
really loud but from which Andy—and even Ben—could not raise a sound.
Often when Andy visited, Ben’s dad was away working (“on the road” as Ben called it), but this
Saturday he happened to be at home. “Hi, Andy,” he shouted jovially, when Andy arrived. “Good to
see you. I was just teaching Ben to juggle. Would you like some lessons, too?”
With that, he threw Andy two hand-sized balls filled with beans. At first Andy kept dropping
them, but as he listened to Ben’s dad’s instructions he began to get better and better. At the end of the
afternoon, Ben’s dad said, “You are a fast learner, Andy. You’ve got the two-ball cascade perfect in
just an afternoon. Take them home to practice if you want. Show me what you can do next time you
come visiting.”
Well, Andy practiced and practiced all week. He was so interested in learning to juggle that he
almost forgot about his bed-wetting. He didn’t have any more dry nights but he did think about it
less. Whereas before, he would drift off to sleep worrying about whether he would wet the bed again,
now he found himself dreaming about being in a circus like Ben’s dad.
Next Saturday Andy was back at Ben’s and when he showed Ben’s dad what he could do, he
was heaped with praise. “Fantastic!” shouted Ben’s dad. His voice was always loud but jovial and
hearty, like he was still in the circus arena addressing a crowd. “Hey, you certainly are one of the
fastest learners I have ever taught to juggle. Just one week and you’re ready for the three-ball cas-
cade and shower.”
With that, he tossed Andy another ball, showing him how to keep it in the air with the first two.
At the end of the afternoon, Ben’s dad said, “You’re great. But as every true circus performer knows,
to be the best you have to practice, practice, and practice some more. Take them home. They’re yours
to keep.”
CHANGING BEHAVIORChanging Patterns of Behavior 93