Children of the opposite ______ in restrooms

[jmmiles]

Why does everybody assume this was situation was because the child needed to use the restroom.

What do you do if you were a single father at Disney with your 10 year old daughter, and YOU needed to use the restroom, urgently. And what if the companion bathroom is occupied?

Given the choice between leaving her standing, alone, in a very crowded park, outside the men's room or have her stand guard inside the men's room infront of my stall where at least I could see her feet, I think the choice is obvious.

Sometimes situations dictate actions that everybody may not fuly understand.

 

[disneychic71]

Maybe she had the last sale item in her basket, and was afraid someone would take it, so wanted to keep one eye on her son, and one on her stuff? Maybe there was sleeping baby in the cart, and she didn't want to bring it into the restroom? Or she was watching for another, older child who was shopping/trying on clothes and they wouldn't be able to spot each other if she went inside the restroom? :shrug:

Ahh--the voice of experience! I personally don't enjoy finding boys in the Ladies' room after they reach a certain age (9, 10, whatever); however, as a mom, I can absolutely understand why another mom would feel safer about sending a boy into the ladies' room rather than the men's room. And what "Mom" says makes sense--sometimes you have to juggle a few kids and make compromises.

 

[Vernonpush]

In regards to fathers taking girls into Men's rooms - tell them that urinals are not for hand washing as you pass by. :lookaroun :lol: :lookaroun

 

[jmmiles]

What really drives me nuts is when A mother will have her young son go into the ladies room alone... why they dont send them to the MENS room is beyond me, but it happens at work all the time to me. (I work at Walmart) I come out the stall to see a 7-10 year old boy walking in with his mother just outside the door...

Suppose she sends him into the men's room, alone, and he has a problem. When he calls for help, whats the mother to do then, go into the men's room to help.

And I think it would be safe to assume there was somethign keeping her from going in with him (another child, perhaps an older boy)

 

[rsoxguy]

I must agree with The Mom on this issue. Boys of a certain age will see nothing inappropriate through a ladies' room stall, but a men's room is a different scene. I have seen girls in the men's room staring around at everyone in the urinal area. I understand that parenting can be tough when dealing with public restrooms, but a family restroom would solve the problem.

 

[TwoTigersMom]

Luckily, I have boys. My oldest is 7 and has decided he's old enough to go to the mens room alone. For the most part, I stand outside the door and wait for him. There has been occasion, when I'd had to go as well, that i've made him go to the womens restroom with me. On these occassions, he is to go then wait for me by the sinks. I know the day that he's too "old" for this is fastly approaching, so I sure hope that when that day comes he's also mature enough to wait right outside the door for me without being distracted by something shiny (or scaley in his case) :lol:

My youngest is only 3 so he's not an issue yet.

 

[The Mom]

In regards to fathers taking girls into Men's rooms - tell them that urinals are not for hand washing as you pass by. :lookaroun :lol: :lookaroun

Back in elementary school (when dinosaurs walked the earth) we sometimes had to pass through the Boy's room (I don't remember why); it had a large round urinal that I thought was a fountain, and I was always jealous that the Girl's room didn't have one...until I spotted a boy using it one day!

 

[dazzer68]

not sure its any of my business, so no comment.
unless you know the family and its history, and social and mental background, nothing to do with anyone but them selves

 

[DrewmanS]

Those are not sinks!

A few years ago at EPCOT Center a Father took his young daughter into the men’s restroom. We walked out together and there was Mother coming out of the ladies room with two kids of her own. I imagine the mother took the kids into the restroom and then the father decided he need to go, so he brought his daughter in with him. Based on the age of the little girl, I had no problem with it.

The interesting part of the story is what happened next. The little girl shouts, “Mommy! Mommy! Daddy went potty in the sink!” It was all I could do not to burst out laughing. I have never seen a man so embarrassed as he tried to explain to his wife and child (any anyone close by that heard the comment) that he had used the urinal.

The lesson here, if you bring a little girl into the men’s room, always use a stall!

 

[rsoxguy]

Years ago when my daughter was younger, she saw the inside of the men's room at our church as I was shutting off the lights. When she asked my wife about the urinals, my wife answered "I don't know, boys are just weird". We have clarified things since then.

 

[Lucky]

I know you say the girl looked capable of using the restroom herself and/or waiting outside for dad, but it is possilbe she had a non-obvious impairment. If she was, for example, autistic then she might look completely normal and even appear normal to a casual observer, and yet not have the skills to be trusted to go by herself into the bathroom or certainly not have the skills to safely wait outside without wandering off while dad went. I am not saying that is what happened, your observations might be completely correct, but I am telling you from far too much direct personal experience that things are not always as they appear.

Excellent point.

If there's a companion restroom available and the Dad knew about it, I'm sure he'd use it in that situation. If it's occupied and it's an emergency, then he may be forced to bring her into the men's room.

On the broader topic: in general I think it's a bigger problem to bring young girls into men's bathrooms and locker rooms than to bring young boys into women's bathrooms and locker rooms. Women's rooms provide much more privacy.

And if I had to send a young kid alone into either a women's room or a men's room, I'd feel safer sending him or her into a women's room. But if at all possible they should be accompanied into public bathrooms.

 

[kimmychad]

doesn't somebody have a signature about not eating the urinal cakes? sounds like good advice in this thread.

 

[The Mom]

doesn't somebody have a signature about not eating the urinal cakes? sounds like good advice in this thread.

Urinal cakes remind me of a family story.

My husband was travelling with his family in the South circa 1949 (he was around 3), before air conditioning was widely used. He and his father went into the Gents at a very posh resort, and in order to keep things "nice" ice and lemon slices were added to the urinals.

My husband said, "Look Daddy! Lemonade!" My FIL always said that he grabbed him just in time. :lol:

FYI, I have 4 older brothers, so I have lots of experience with guy stuff.

 

[BigRedDad]

I am glad I read this thread. I really don't have a comment. I often with my daughter alone. She is in the midst of almost being potty trained, so when ever she says she had to go I take her. Many times there are no family restrooms. I am glad I saw this to know I should use those instead. I will only have her to myself for about 18 hours while I am at WDW, but I know which to use now.

Thanks.

 

[dove_]

I know you say the girl looked capable of using the restroom herself and/or waiting outside for dad, but it is possilbe she had a non-obvious impairment. If she was, for example, autistic then she might look completely normal and even appear normal to a casual observer, and yet not have the skills to be trusted to go by herself into the bathroom or certainly not have the skills to safely wait outside without wandering off while dad went. I am not saying that is what happened, your observations might be completely correct, but I am telling you from far too much direct personal experience that things are not always as they appear.

A very good point. My younger sister is autistic, and she's now 11 (almost 12, goodness I'm feeling old!). Also, a few years ago, my mother was blind due to medical complications, so I was the bathroom guide. I would either bring my mother into the bathroom while my dad took my sister (about age 8 or 9), or I'd have to pass them off. My sister still can't be completely trusted in public bathrooms, just because she tends to take her time, and hasn't quite gotten the locks down yet. (One time I remember holding her door shut while she took her time in a bathroom with 4 stalls and a humongous line! I felt awful for everyone waiting...)

Most of the time, I've found it's hard to find a family bathroom, and once you've found one, one that's open. (Haven't had to look for one at Disney, but still) I'm at college, so I'm not around my sister very often, especially in the bathroom, so she may be able to go in alone, but I know we wouldn't let her in someplace like Disney. My dad would definitely be taking her in if I was preoccupied with something.

 

[Dukeblue1016]

what's wrong with this?

I'm 23 and my mom still takes me into the woman's room...

:shrug:





:lookaroun

 

[StitchMad]

not sure its any of my business, so no comment.
unless you know the family and its history, and social and mental background, nothing to do with anyone but them selves

Gonna bring up this comment again, this is my exact opinion on the main post.

However, when I was younger (up until the age of 5 or 6) my Mother would take me in to the ladies room with her. After that, she simply trusted me and stood by the door.

Unless you know exactly what that person is like physically and mentally, you can not comment on whether it is right or wrong.

 

[JustPlainBill]

In my travels, local and a far, I have never seen females of any age in the men's room, except for when I was at Disney World.

Well...maybe twice, I did see it elswhere. Once, when I was at the Wisconsin State Fair. There was an over abundance of women having to use one particuliar women's facility. The line grew so long that the women grew impatient and completely took over the men's side. I had to go searching for another men's room to use. The 2nd time was when I had my young daughter with me who at the time was three or four years old and my wife was somewhere else.

My daughter, out of no where, said she had to go real bad. Funny, how that happens, it's never..."Daddy, whenever it's convienient, please take me to the potty." No, it's "Daddy, I gotta go, NOW!" The place where we were had no family bathroom. Luckily the men's room wasn't very busy, so I took her in after making sure there was no one else using it. It was awkward but I got the job done without too much mess, embarrassment, and without going to jail.

I will say that when I was at the MK and while using the men's room having seen a father bring in his two daughters who I guess were 10 to 14 years old, it was just a bit unsettling, not for me so much but for the two girls. I could tell by reading their faces they were embarrassed and horrified.

Good parents will do what they have to, torpedoes be darned! There were plenty of times as a Dad I've said under my breath, "Judge me if you must, just stay out of my way and let me take care of this first!"

 

[TubaGeek]

Hope you have a nice picture.

How to make this family friendly. :lookaroun Certain activities have been known to occur in Men's rooms from time to time that a mother would not want her son to chance upon. Maybe she knows something about the one in the store mentioned? :shrug:

There are certainly some Men's restrooms that I would not allow my son to use, and others where I wait outside the door if my husband isn't with us, after instructing my son to yell if he encounters anything "strange" going on.

You win! I don't think it's a good reason, but it is a reason. Quasimodo will be back in a month...

 

[bobjl527]

You win! I don't think it's a good reason, but it is a reason. Quasimodo will be back in a month...

Good for you! :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: