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My girls (12 and 8) won't use the women's bathroom if there's a boy their age in there. They'll walk in and walk right back out. My younger one gets really upset if there's a little boy peeking under the stall doors.
I'll tell you what's worse than the bathrooms though...we went to the public beach on South Padre and there were teen boys in the women's shower area, showering with their (I hope) mothers. There were no shower curtains or any way to have any privacy. We ended up rinsing off in our suits and then going into the handicap bathroom stall to change.
I think parents of little boys just feel more privileged. I'll never forget being about 4 and I was out an OUTDOOR beach shower with my mom and her friends with their kids. We're getting cleaned (in our bathing suits). This lady came with her little boy. She just takes off his swimming shorts. He actually PEED in the shower drain. I went "ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!" Everyone gave her stank eye and she took him and left. It's pretty funny now, but as a child that upset me.
Regardless of a child's age, it's never fun for me when someone else's children are peeking between the stall door and wall at me on the toilet, or are deliberately sticking any part of their bodies, especially their HEADS, into my stall while I'm on the toilet. If you're going to bring kids into the ladies' room, at least corral them!
That's biggest issue with this. It's very uncomfortable in a general way. I feel for LITTLE GIRLS who the bathroom is meant for, it can be down right scary. I also think it sends the message of (to little girls) "This is your bathroom, until the boys have to use it".
Personally, I am sick and tired of boys in the ladies room, my DD is generally mortified. Its not a matter of "what can they see" etc its a matter of its the ladies room, not the co-ed room and boys belong in the boys bathroom. My DH would never have taken our DD into a men's room, ever. We taught her early on how to use a potty, same with DS. Sure, I might stand outside when he was really young but this whole idea of the older boys with their mommies is annoying and embarrassing for my DD as well as the poor kid whose mommy takes him into the ladies bathroom.
Quote:
Originally Posted by June87
That's biggest issue with this. It's very uncomfortable in a general way. I feel for LITTLE GIRLS who the bathroom is meant for, it can be down right scary. I also think it sends the message of (to little girls) "This is your bathroom, until the boys have to use it".
Yeah, but...
Put it this way. I have been in the situation where I am some place like a mall with just me and my kids. Say you are at the food court and there are those huge bathrooms with 20+ stalls in them. People are everywhere, going in and out. There are crowds galore. It is a madhouse.
There was no way in hell I was sending my 5 year old son into a packed bathroom full of strangers alone. I was also not going to leave him outside the women's bathroom in a crowded mall unsupervised, where he could easily run off by himself or be persuaded to walk off with someone. If my husband is not there and the urge hits, he was coming with me. Period. It's not really a matter of them knowing how to use the bathroom.
Everybody is different. Some people might be comfortable sending their 4-7 year old off alone in those situations and some won't. I get the concern over 9-10 year olds, because theoretically at that age they should be able to handle some responsibility as well as have some ability to protect themselves. But younger than that? It's not really going to kill anyone for a small boy to be in the girls bathroom, whether they are "supposed" to be there or not IMO.
Put it this way. I have been in the situation where I am some place like a mall with just me and my kids. Say you are at the food court and there are those huge bathrooms with 20+ stalls in them. People are everywhere, going in and out. There are crowds galore. It is a madhouse.
There was no way in hell I was sending my 5 year old son into a packed bathroom full of strangers alone. I was also not going to leave him outside the women's bathroom in a crowded mall unsupervised, where he could easily run off by himself or be persuaded to walk off with someone. If my husband is not there and the urge hits, he was coming with me. Period. It's not really a matter of them knowing how to use the bathroom.
Everybody is different. Some people might be comfortable sending their 4-7 year old off alone in those situations and some won't. I get the concern over 9-10 year olds, because theoretically at that age they should be able to handle some responsibility as well as have some ability to protect themselves. But younger than that? It's not really going to kill anyone for a small boy to be in the girls bathroom, whether they are "supposed" to be there or not IMO.
No, I "get it". Your little boy is more important that the little girlS in the bathroom. Girls have no place of their own. Boys can get intrude. What if something strange is going in the women's bathroom? Boy/Men's bathroom isn't for them. What if they're with dad? A stranger can take them. I get it.
Notice, despite the fought, women still lose. Girls can't go in the men's bathroom but boys can go into the girl's bathroom until their 17 according to some posters. Like the saying goes "It's a man's world".
I agree that seeing boys in the women's restroom isn't a big deal. When I was living in Europe I used many unisex bathrooms (yes, with multiple stalls and urinals) at clubs and restaurants. It was kind of liberating and fun! College dorms have shared bathrooms these days too.
I also think the mom is way overblowing the risk of boys in mens' rooms. All she has to do is stick her head in and make sure it is either empty or has more than one person in there, if she is that uncomfortable. Better yet, teach the kid about how to deal with unwanted attention in any circumstance. Age 8 or 9 is way to old to be getting this info for the first time.
the risk of boys in the mens' room may be overblown, but it does exist. why take that risk at all? i'm far from an overprotective parent. but taking an unneccessary risk is a bit silly to me. a bathroom has stalls, so taking a boy into a ladies' room shouldn't be an issue at all. i don't know why we still enforce these ridiculous gender seperations anyways.
Let me make some necessary clarifications here. I have no problems with young boys in the public bathroom. I was talking about boys as old as 8,9, 10 and above
but what would a 9 yr old boy do in the bathroom that a 6 yr old boy wouldn't, that makes you uncomfortable?
if anything, the 6 yr old is more likely to bust open the stall door on you, since the 9 yr old more likely knows better...
When I worked in a grocery store as a teenager we had rotating shifts for who had to clean the bathrooms, you guys aren't doing much better. I'll never forget the horrors I saw in those stalls and how it changed my naive, teenaged, angelic like view of women forever.
we had a bathroom dedicated to women in my college fraternity house. no matter what went on in that house and how bad the mens' rooms got, you could ask any of the 30-35 brothers who lived in the house to clean the women's bathroom and no one would pick it over cleaning the mens'. it was horrible. lol
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I went "ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!" Everyone gave her stank eye and she took him and left. It's pretty funny now, but as a child that upset me.
