Children with Parents in bathroom

[mamaLori05]

but will say, it would be WONDERFUL if this became a banned topic. Here's the news folks: You only get to make decisions for YOUR family! It doesn't matter what you think, what you feel, how fragile a psyche you and/or your children have, whether the other child has disabilities, whether you are easily offended, or what the price of tea is in China!!!!! Your opinion on this counts for zero, zip, nada! You do not get to tell other parents how to parent, end of discussion!!

Based on that comment you'd have to ban 95% of the topics on the family board. Most of them are about parenting and opinions.

 

[mommyof2princesses]

I have to say that my dd15 would be very embarrased if when she walked out of the stall a 12 year old boywas standing in the bathroom. I don't care either way, as I am an adult. But I think if I was a teenager I would have been horrified to see a teenage boy in the bathroom! I would think the poor boy would be too!

All parents raise their children as they see fit and I totally understand that. But we need to remember that the things we do affect others.

I am lucky to not have to worry about this as I only have girls.

 

[Ava]

reminds me of my guy friend that frantically called me after 2 weeks of college becuase he had no clean clothes. He had never learned to use a washing machine and needed help!

This is classic. Whenever we take the train from NYC to Baltimore for the holidays almost every college-age guy has a huge bag of clothes he's taking home for Mom to wash. Although I will admit that more than once in college I went out & bought more underwear because I didn't want to do laundry.

1) Went into the ladies room. There was a boy in there (maybe 8 to 10 years old). That wasn't weird, what was weird was that he was using a stall with the door wide open. One would think that if a mother was worried enough to bring her son into the ladies restroom, she'd be worried enough to keep an eye on him (at the very least prevent him from flashing everyone in the restroom).

That is really weird. Hopefully his mother caught him so she could tell him to close the door next time!

 

[QVCshopper]

I didn't read the other posts, but please stop trying to guess kids' ages. I have a DD who is just turned six, and she is 51.5"+ tall (so about 4 feet, 4 inches). She towers above her kindergarten class (Nov. b-day, I didn't hold back), and people always assume she is 9 or 10 years old. Just b/c someone is tall doesn't mean they are old. The same goes with shorter kids. Getting off my soapbox now; I'm just so tired to people going on and on about how tall my DD is, using words like "huge" and "how old is SHE?" when she's in a dance class for 5-7 year olds...

That said, in public, I take my DS4 in the stall with me and let my DD6 use the one next to me by herself. It works out well, she is responsible and waits in the stall until I come out.

 

[elbodans]

i didn't read every single post on this thread, so i don't know if this was said yet or not--but for what it is worth, when i was in paris this summer, many (possibly most?) restrooms were unisex. i frequently used a stall directly next to a urinal that was typically in use (summer is busy tourist season in paris, and toilets are hard to find, so they are always 'full'). i specifically remember being in one at a cafe at the same time as a man and his young son. i walked out of my stall, washed my hands, and exited the restroom and no one batted an eyelash. totally normal in other parts of the world. so my response would be 'don't worry about it'!

 

[pacrosby]

i didn't read every single post on this thread, so i don't know if this was said yet or not--but for what it is worth, when i was in paris this summer, many (possibly most?) restrooms were unisex. i frequently used a stall directly next to a urinal that was typically in use (summer is busy tourist season in paris, and toilets are hard to find, so they are always 'full'). i specifically remember being in one at a cafe at the same time as a man and his young son. i walked out of my stall, washed my hands, and exited the restroom and no one batted an eyelash. totally normal in other parts of the world. so my response would be 'don't worry about it'!

Actually I made a similar point earlier based on our experiences in Canada (we vacation in Quebec every year). I guess a lot of these folks best never use a public toilet in another country.

ETA: Hey....this is actually something to think about Disney is attended by people from ALL over the world. Thus it is very possible that that parent you are giving the evil eye to is actually an international visitor. Something to remember next time it happens and you find yourself ready to blow a gasket.

 

[Hannathy]

Actually I made a similar point earlier based on our experiences in Canada (we vacation in Quebec every year). I guess a lot of these folks best never use a public toilet in another country.

ETA: Hey....this is actually something to think about Disney is attended by people from ALL over the world. Thus it is very possible that that parent you are giving the evil eye to is actually an international visitor. Something to remember next time it happens and you find yourself ready to blow a gasket.

They are in the United States so they need to follow our customs just as US visitors are expected to follow the norms of foreign countries.


I can't believe people are saying over 12. I guess I should tell the 5'10, 160 pound 13 yr old I had in the play at church he can't use the men's room by himself it is to dangerous. LOL, unbelievable. Maybe his girlfriend could go into the women"s room with him, snicker.

 

[pacrosby]

They are in the United States so they need to follow our customs just as US visitors are expected to follow the norms of foreign countries.

And where exactly should they look to find this information out? Not sure it's truly a 'custom' anyway, as is evident by the differing opinions here.

Even you must admit, now you're just trying to be 'difficult'

I can't believe people are saying over 12. I guess I should tell the 5'10, 160 pound 13 yr old I had in the play at church he can't use the men's room by himself it is to dangerous. LOL, unbelievable. Maybe his girlfriend could go into the women"s room with him, snicker.

Did someone really say 'over 12' was ok? I must've missed that.

 

[Hannathy]

And where exactly should they look to find this information out? Not sure it's truly a 'custom' anyway, as is evident by the differing opinions here.

Even you must admit, now you're just trying to be 'difficult'


well it is your responsibility to know when you travel to another country.




Did someone really say 'over 12' was ok? I must've missed that.

Yep 10 of them! and that is very sad.

 

[carebee21]

My son is 7 and on trips when it's just he and I, he usually comes in the women's room with me. And it's not because I'm paranoid about something happening to him if he's alone in a bathroom. He just can't follow directions. So if I have to go to the bathroom and I tell him to go in the mens room and then come out and wait for me at that bench, it wouldn't happen. He'd run off to pin trade or get in line for something.

 

[pacrosby]

Yep 10 of them! and that is very sad.

On your first comment I can only say..........ugh, I give up LOL

But on the above quote:

Hmmmm. That is a little odd. Let's hope some of them didn't just do it to try to create drama. Even I, who like to let others make their own decisions, would have to say that's an extreme.

 

[Hannathy]

Hmmmm. That is a little odd. Let's hope some of them didn't just do it to try to create drama. Even I, who like to let others make their own decisions, would have to say that's an extreme.

I know. If it were 1 or 2 I would say yes they are just trying to be "trouble" but really if 10 people think a 13 and up young man belongs in the ladies room I'm scared.

do they not realize that some boys are shaving in 8th grade? and some like the young man at church has had his first big growth spurt already. I mean this kid is huge, if I saw him in a strange restroom I would be concerned for my safety, not his!!!

 

[pacrosby]

I know. If it were 1 or 2 I would say yes they are just trying to be "trouble" but really if 10 people think a 13 and up young man belongs in the ladies room I'm scared.

do they not realize that some boys are shaving in 8th grade? and some like the young man at church has had his first big growth spurt already. I mean this kid is huge, if I saw him in a strange restroom I would be concerned for my safety, not his!!!

My 20 yr old nephew was about 6'2" at 13! (he's 6'7" now). Now wouldn't HE be quite a sight (he wouldn't even have to peek between the doors.....he could probably have seen OVER THEM)



ETA: I just clicked on the results of the poll and you know I was actually surprised to read the wording. I thought it asked at what age you would take your child in with you when in fact it asks when you would let you child go alone. I guess we can assume then that those 10 people would actually NOT take them with them after 12. Phew LOL

 

[Hannathy]

ETA: I just clicked on the results of the poll and you know I was actually surprised to read the wording. I thought it asked at what age you would take your child in with you when in fact it asks when you would let you child go alone. I guess we can assume then that those 10 people would actually NOT take them with them after 12. Phew LOL

Oh thank Goodness!

 

[azdizzymom]

They are in the United States so they need to follow our customs just as US visitors are expected to follow the norms of foreign countries.


I can't believe people are saying over 12. I guess I should tell the 5'10, 160 pound 13 yr old I had in the play at church he can't use the men's room by himself it is to dangerous. LOL, unbelievable. Maybe his girlfriend could go into the women"s room with him, snicker.

Too funny! I hadn't checked this thread in days. Can't believe 12 and over either. My boys would have been mortified to be in the women's restroom at age 7 or older (they stopped at 5). I made them stand outside the door and they hated that but knew they had too. Love your idea though!!!!

 

[Mickeypooh99]

My question is... why does her 3rd grader need help changing his clothes? Unless he's disabled in some way, I'd think an 8-year-old should be able to dress himself.

No, I know this child from my DS's school. He is not disabled. He is a little on the wild side so I think the mom maybe thought he might get into some trouble in the locker room alone, but I never would have thought she and her 3 little girls would enter the mens locker room!!!

 

[nrpofp]

My six and 8 year old would never go into a womens bathroom even if I wanted them to. I will admit it can be scary at times. I stand outside the door, and I wouldn't hesitate to barge in if I thought there was really a problem. I don't wan't my kids to grow up being scared of other people. 99.9 percentate of people have kids best interest at heart. I try to teach them to be smart and cautious, but not paranoid.

 

[perfectparanoia]

I said 5-6 but I wouldn't let them in a room with more than one exit by themselves since they might get lost and scared.

If my little guy needed to go and the nearest was one of those, I would go to the nearest one that had only one entrance (he does not want or need his mommy in the bathroom with him). I have a bladder the size of a peanut so I am well versed in the locations and quality of the bathrooms at disney.

(If it is my daughter, I usually go in with her since I will have to pee, too.)

 

[disgrajak]

Gosh, I really don't want to post this since I was just in a similar argument on another thread, but I just want people to be aware. I posted this 5 years ago!!! But I think it's still worth reading. I don't think things have improved.

Hi,
I posted this on another thread, but I feel it's important to post it here. I am a former prosecuter who worked in abuse and neglect court. Pedophiles specifically go to places like Disney, petting zoos, swimming pools, etc. for the sole purpose of seeing/hurting kids. Some video tape kids and some try to touch them in pools, etc. In the last couple of years in my town a 4 year old boy was molested in a popular nationwide chain store store bathroom while his mother waited outside. We had DNA (horrible), but the perp was never found--the store had a camera pointed at the bathroom, but had forgotten to change the tape. We also had a 12 year old boy held down by force and assaulted in a park bathroom. This is scary stuff and it is rare that something like this happens, but the fact is it does happen and you have to protect your kids from it. I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old and I will be taking them to the bathroom for many years to come. If anybody ever gives me a look or makes a comment, I will tell them the story of these two kids and others and hope that they understand that kids' safety comes before ANYONE'S comfort level. Pixie dust to you all! We are leaving for the happiest place on earth tomorrow!

 

[rodeo65]

We just returned from FL and while this didn't happen during the WDW part of our trip but in Sarasota, it renewed my need to have an adult with them until they are older. At home where we feel more familiar we have started allowing our 8 & 9 yr olds to go alone if the door is in sight of our table, otherwise we accompany or if opposite gender parent we wait outside.

One evening while out for dinner I took DD to the restroom. A woman who looked a little sketchy stepped in ahead of us and held the door, then moved to the sinks, not the stalls. DD and I went into stalls beside each other but she finished first and started out before me. As I was leaving the stall, I heard the woman say "Hey, you're cute do you mind if I take your picture?" I bolted out to where they were as DD was looking uncomfortable and saying "I guess so". I stepped in and said "No, I don't think so" and she said "Oh, no?" We washed fast and left. DD noticed at that point that she was not wearing shoes.

I told DH about it and he went to get the manager. She went in to check it out and the woman was in the handicapped stall. After about 15 minutes they came to apologize and said she was still in the stall and not leaving or responding to them so they were calling the police. They asked us to wait to talk to them. It took the police about 20 or 25 minutes to get there - she has now been in the restroom stall about 40 minutes or so.

In the end it took 4 cops and she was removed in handcuffs. She "barked" at DD as we were sitting in the entranceway and she was taken out. We asked to police to check the phone to make sure she didn't get a picture of my daughter without either of us noticing.

So, now I will continue to take both kids every time and wait outside if it's DS and holler in if he's too long. Don't care what people think. That was too close and DD clearly is just not mature enough to handle a weird situation like that. We made sure both kids know it's ok to not be polite to someone who is acting weird or giving them a bad feeling. DD said she felt creeped out but didn't want to be rude.