How old is too old (regarding restrooms and kids)?

[Disneymommy2006]

I got that. I think I used the word scream but the PP said yelled.

Your DD has every right to point out what she observes!

Wow, I usually don't join in the bickering. This one got to me.

I said yelled...sorry if that was not what was said in the original post about the daughter pointing out a boy being in the restroom...Again, my point was that we don't always know everyone's situations and I will continue to teach my children to be considerate. Kids make lots of observations not all have to be vocalized for all to hear. A 7 year old boy would be embarrassed by such a comment and single mom may be doing the best she can in trying to keep her children safe...

 

[littlepeppers]

Another twist on the situation:

At what age do you allow little girls to go alone to the women's bathroom when out alone with dad?? When is too old to take her to the mens??

Do we consider women's bathrooms safer than men's?????

Don't know if they are safer, but they sure are cleaner. If DS has to do #2, we go to the ladies room. They usually have toilet paper too.

 

[Leajess99]

Don't know if they are safer, but they sure are cleaner. If DS has to do #2, we go to the ladies room. They usually have toilet paper too.

Most of the bathrooms my kids have been too the men's has had more toilet paper than the ladies. In fact at the soccer field we are always sending the boys in to steal the toilet paper for the women's.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

My daughter & I have both been "peeked at" by boys in the ladies' restroom several times at various places. It makes me uncomfortable for them to be in there. One boy actually crawled on his hands and knees going from stall to stall peeking under.

When I was a tween, I was "peeked at" by another GIRL, and it happened again, twice, as an adult, when little girls decided to stick their heads into my stall. When I was a kid and it happened, I was upset about it (wasn't too crazy about it as an adult, either) -- you expect privacy in certain places, and for even another girl to invade that privacy was upsetting.

When I said something about it to the mother back then, she scoffed at me and said, "That seriously bothered you?" To this day, that bugs me. All kids should be taught to respect all others, not just between genders.

...all of which, of course, is totally irrelevant to this thread, but this just reminded me of it!

 

[disneymom2one]

My almost thirteen year old would be uncomfortable (as would I) if a boy older than 7 or 8 was in a women's bathroom. Puberty is tough enough these days.

 

[crisi]

Completely inappropriate. Its a women's room. If you aren't comfortable with your son in a men's room alone, you have to find a solution that doesn't impose on strangers - many of whom find a child that age inappropriate in a women's room - many of whom are sending their own sons that age into the men's room because they realize that its inappropriate.

 

[sk!mom]

while I agree that most 10 year old boys are fine in the rest room I remind people,that what you see is not what you always have. Our friends have a beautiful 5 year old little boy. When you see him he looks just like any other child but he is not. He has autisim. At 10 he will not be going into a restroom alone. His parents are VERY respectful but with a child ,waiting till you find a handicap bathroom just can not always happen. Having a girl scream at them is just adding more hurt.

I had a girl about 8 "freak" out when I was changing my DSG at the pool this week. He is TWO.

I have had many moms of girls tell me after having boys they think in a much different way.

Many people on this thread have posted special situations where taking a boy into the women's room is the best/only option but the OP asked about a 10 year old with no handicaps. He shoud go to the men's room.


As for diaper changing...Wasn't there a place where you could have changed him privately? I agree with the 8 year old. While I wouldn't have "freaked" out, I hate to see people change a diaper out in the open. Maybe OK if it's an infant and the changing is done in the stroller- But out in the open, and the pool seems to be a common place for this to happen, it's unsanitary and inconsiderate of others.

 

[lil mermaid]

Many people on this thread have posted special situations where taking a boy into the women's room is the best/only option but the OP asked about a 10 year old with no handicaps. He shoud go to the men's room.


As for diaper changing...Wasn't there a place where you could have changed him privately? I agree with the 8 year old. While I wouldn't have "freaked" out, I hate to see people change a diaper out in the open. Maybe OK if it's an infant and the changing is done in the stroller- But out in the open, and the pool seems to be a common place for this to happen, it's unsanitary and inconsiderate of others.

I agree with this 100%. Changing diapers on a pool deck is unsanitary and isn't good pool hygiene. I am surprised it was even allowed at the pool.

 

[MSSANDRA]

[.


As for diaper changing...Wasn't there a place where you could have changed him privately? I agree with the 8 year old. While I wouldn't have "freaked" out, I hate to see people change a diaper out in the open. Maybe OK if it's an infant and the changing is done in the stroller- But out in the open, and the pool seems to be a common place for this to happen, it's unsanitary and inconsiderate of others.[/QUOTE]


We were in the women's bath house at the changing bench. He has to be changed somewhere and this seems to be the best choice!!:

 

[princessmom29]

You're wrong! Your daughter has the right to step out and wait. You have the right to keep her locked up at home, away from anything and anyone who might not wish to allow you to be the all-powerful-ruler-of-the-universe.

You do not have the right to tell another parent- any other parent- how to raise their children.

Don't be ridiculous- this is not an issue of a boy being in a women's bathroom alone. He is traveling with a group of women.

If your daughter is so emotionally fragile that seeing a 10 year old boy in a girls bathroom would cause her distress you might want to consider counseling.

I thought long and hard about how to respond to this, and finally decided that there is no response. Reporting this kind of personal attack is the only response to make.

Not to add fuel to this fire....but I think that everyone here should be aware that boys (yes even 10 year olds) are often preyed upon by sick men in public restrooms. This is not typically an issue with young girls in women's public restrooms. Theme parks are locations where these sick men would know that they could find or target young boys. I have an 8 year old and a 5 year old boy and I am very conscious about this! Read James Dobson's Bringing Up Boys and you will understand some the statistics here...we must protect our children!!!!! Having said that, I will say that they usually go in with their dad into the Men's room...However, if they are with me (and dad is not along) and there's no family restroom....I take them with me in the women's. Luckily, when this has occurred the restrooms have been empty (at the mall, etc....we've never faced this at Disney) However if I were a single mom or put in a situation where I had no other choice, I would die if another young girl yelled out..."there's a boy in here...." or something like that in front of my two boys...that is just teaching a child to be rude!!!!!! We are very careful to consider others and I teach my boys this....I just wish others would do the same!!!!

Actually, the statistics say that the odds are very,very slim that a child will be molested by a stranger anywhere and most of those type of situations do not happen in public restrooms. It is actually a pretty rare secarnio as it presents a huge risk of being caught. The most likely sceranio is a snatch in grab where the molestor can get the child into his/her vehicle and drive to a secluded area.

 

[crisi]

Actually, the statistics say that the odds are very,very slim that a child will be molested by a stranger anywhere and most of those type of situations do not happen in public restrooms. It is actually a pretty rare secarnio as it presents a huge risk of being caught. The most likely sceranio is a snatch in grab where the molestor can get the child into his/her vehicle and drive to a secluded area.

And you'd have to be incredibly stupid to do anything at WDW, where there are a zillion parents who would fall upon a pedophile with the intensity of an angry mob, literally hundreds of security people on duty at any given time - most in plain clothes, and everyone is carrying a camera. The most likely thing to happen is that your son will be looked at using the urinal - and the simple solution to that is have him use a stall.

The risk is not zero, but the risk is never zero. Another woman could fondle your son while you are in your stall in the ladies room. (Men are not the only pedophiles). Children are snatched from their beds in their homes.

The only real purpose of having a normal ten year old use the ladies room at WDW is to make his mother/grandmother feel better. It maintains the risk of abuse from "incredibly unlikely" to "incredibly unlikely." And you are making yourself feel better at the expense of making other people uncomfortable.

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

My nephew is nearly 10 and looks about 12. He will be the only male in a group of 3 females - his grandmother, me - his aunt, and his 7 year old sister.

My mother is insistent on the fact that she will accompany my nephew and take him to the ladies' restrooms in the parks when he needs to use the facilities. He is perfectly capable of handling himself without help - I think its more because my mother thinks some bad person will hurt the child.

Should she accompany him and wait outside the stall for him in the ladies with stall door closed??

Or should she accompany him to the men's room and wait outside his stall there with stall door closed?

Or should she trust him enough to use the men's room alone?

I think he should use the men's room or use a companion restroom.
If I saw a 10 year old in the women's room I would turn around and walk out. He is too old to be in there.

I hope you have a great trip and try not to worry about it too much. There are a lot of bathrooms and you shouldn't have any issues. This thread has turned into a lot of drama despite the fact that you asked a simple question.

 

[SLK1]

I don't know what y'all do in the bathroom, but for me and mine, because we do not enjoy being in public restrooms, we are in and out - quickly. Do your business - inside a locked stall - wash hands, and you're out. If any "noises" slip, it's embarrassing no matter who hears! If I saw a ten-hear-old boy in there, because I have a son, I wouldn't really think twice about it - obviously, the kid doesn't want to be there anymore than you want him there - so logic would tell you that there is a good reason, whether it be he's autistic, scared, or his grandmother wouldn't let him go in the men's room!

To the OP, I think he would be fine in the men's room by himself - but maybe encourage him to use the stall and not the urinal, just for peace of mind (I honestly think urinals are the most disgusting thing known to man...but that could be another thread entirely!). I remember my son going in at about that age and I just stood right outside the entrance. Yeah, I probably looked a bit silly, but I knew he could hear me and I could hear him, so it was fine. If anyone was up to any funny business in there, they also knew I was right outside the entrance. It's nice too because there are no doors - just entrances. I hope your mom will let the boy pee in peace!

 

[KathyTX]

We've been down this road many times... time to close this one.