Dear Abby: I wet my pants because of my thoughtless sister-in-law. Was I wrong to be angry?

"DEAR ABBY: At a recent family gathering, my sister-in-law Paula asked my husband if she could use our bathroom. We have three bathrooms in our home; she asked to use the one in our upstairs bedroom suite for privacy, even though she knows of my incontinence problem. (We don't even allow our children to use this bathroom.) I had to use the bathroom urgently, and I ran upstairs to use the one I expected was vacant."

"I was surprised that she was there. Because I couldn't make it to the toilet, I had a wetting accident. I was extremely upset with Paula. I yelled at her, and when she saw what had happened, she was extremely apologetic. Abby, Paula knows I have bladder control issues, yet she ignored it. My husband heard the commotion and hollered at me for yelling at his sister. Did I do wrong here?"

"Incontinence can happen to anyone at any age. It isn't just little old ladies. Between 24% and 45% of women have reported urinary incontinence, the problem no one wants to discuss. According to statistics from the National Institute of Health approximately 13 million individuals were affected by urinary incontinence in 2024. You were wrong to yell at your sister-in-law, who had been granted permission to use that bathroom, but it's understandable given your distress and embarrassment. If you haven't apologized to her, you should."

At a family gathering, a sister-in-law asked to use the upstairs bedroom-suite bathroom for privacy despite knowing of the writer's incontinence. The writer urgently ran upstairs, found the bathroom occupied, and experienced a wetting accident, then yelled at the sister-in-law, who apologized. The husband scolded the writer for yelling. Statistics state that 24–45% of women report urinary incontinence and approximately 13 million individuals were affected in 2024. The writer was wrong to yell but the reaction was understandable; an apology is recommended, and greater accountability is suggested for the husband. A separate letter begins about grandparents gaining custody of a grandson named Keith.

Read at www.mercurynews.com