Little Girls in the Mens Room?

[flyinglizard]

Last week I was a little shocked when I walked into the mens room near SE and a father and his daughter, I'm guessing age 8-10, were walking out...

Tonite, as I was leaving the mens room at the American Pavilion, a father and his little blond daughter, age 8-10, were walking in!

I don't think I have ever seen this before. OK, I admit I am older and a litttle old fashioned, but is this OK with todays modern parents??? I would be very uncomfortable standing at the urinal knowing a little girl is standing behind me. Am I really that far out of todays thinking? What are the fathers thinking???

Your feedback is very much appreciated... please!

 

[Alye]

I agree, that is kind of shocking. I mean, I could understand fathers bringing their daughters in the bathroom if they're at the age where they cannot go themselves unsupervised, but 8-10?

Could it be a cultural thing like the fountain bathers?

 

[Cool-Beans]

It's fine with some parents (they'll take 12 year olds into bathrooms of the opposite sex so as to avoid the pedophiles who might be waiting to do worse-than-death to their kids if the send them in alone.)

It's not so fine with others (who think that they may have to take their child to therapy because a kid of another sex was in the bathroom.)

I didn't make either of those examples up.

Always a good fight on the DIS.

 

[Megsmachine]

Last week I was a little shocked when I walked into the mens room near SE and a father and his daughter, I'm guessing age 8-10, were walking out...

Tonite, as I was leaving the mens room at the American Pavilion, a father and his little blond daughter, age 8-10, were walking in!

I don't think I have ever seen this before. OK, I admit I am older and a litttle old fashioned, but is this OK with todays modern parents??? I would be very uncomfortable standing at the urinal knowing a little girl is standing behind me. Am I really that far out of todays thinking? What are the fathers thinking???

Your feedback is very much appreciated... please!

As a mother of 3 boys, I am always taking my boys in the bathroom with me. Granted I know it is different because womens restrooms have stalls.

But what if the father is a single father? I am not comfortable with my 9 yo ds going to the restroom by himself unless it is a one room bathroom with lock and I can see the door.

I realize it is tough it being a father and daughter type situation. If it was like this in our family (which it is not) my dh would probably try to lead "our" daughter with his hand over her eyes to a stall.

Unfortunately this is not "back in the day" where every one loved one another and did no harm to children.

I have gotten dirty looks from women before because I have taken my ds in with me. Fine by me. I will take those dirty looks any day over something happening to my children.

 

[monty]

I think Disney should provide a few family bathrooms. A lot of public places, such as shopping malls, etc have them here in Australia.

 

[Megsmachine]

I think Disney should provide a few family bathrooms. A lot of public places, such as shopping malls, etc have them here in Australia.

I absolutely agree!

 

[PlainJane]

I can still remember my dad taking me into the mens room with him, the last time that happened I was probably six. It really didn't matter because men's rooms always seem to be deserted anyways.

With how creepy people are nowadays, I can understand why someone wouldn't want there kids to go to the bathroom by themselves. It would be nice though if they could cover the kids eyes until they get them to a stall.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I think Disney should provide a few family bathrooms. A lot of public places, such as shopping malls, etc have them here in Australia.

They do.

 

[Dollyrar]

I am always amazed when people talk about the world 50 years ago as if it was something like Mary Poppins, and that only recently has this changed. Unfortunately, There have ALWAYS been paedophiles, thieves and dangerous people in the world. That is the truth.
I understand that this is a real worry for people, but this is nothing new, and as a British person who viewed American News for 3 weeks recently, it is no wonder you people are nervous wrecks! Your news coverage is obsessed with putting the fear of god into people in order to keep people watching. You would think by watching your media coverage that every person next to you is a child-abducting, gun-rampaging, religious fanatic terrorist! Unfortunately our media tends to be following the same route.
I think that people need to remember that the actual likelihood of anything happening to your child, as long as you take normal common-sense precautions, is ridiculously low. The unfortunate cases that we are subjected to in the media are the exception, not the norm.
As a male, I do feel uncomfortable when there are young girls of about 10 years of age in a mens bathroom. I also get the feeling when I see them forced into there that they are not too thrilled to be there themselves. I feel that there is a major difference beween this and say a young girl of 2-3 years old.
I can predict that I'm going to get flamed for this, but all of the kids in my family have been educated not to talk to strangers, and to scream and shout if anybody ever trys to touch them, and I feel that if they are left alone for a minute whilst one of us has to use a bathroom, that they are comfortable with that trust and confident to be able to handle that. I hate the 'wrapped in cotton wool' attitude, that some parents basically put the fear of god into their kids that if they ever leave their side, that they are ****ed on their own. I do not think that this is healthy.
I think we all need to just look at things objectively, and not spend so much time watching Fox news for how to live our lives.

 

[4boysmama]

Well, I'm optimistic, but I'm also a realist. The reality is, kids do get hurt. And yes, it may be unlikely, but I'll be damned if my child is going to be the exception. There is no way I would leave my 9-10 year old alone while I went to the restroom, even if we are of the opposite sex, especially not swimming in a crowd of strangers. I'm less uncomfortable with the child being in the bathroom with opposite genders than I am with the child being left alone when who knows what could happen to him/her.

 

[Dollyrar]

Then what age do you draw the line at? 12? 14? 16? 24!? At what point does it become acceptable to allow your child to go pee-pee on their own?

 

[bicker]

I always thought that this whole system was screwed up. The daughter is going to the bathroom, so IMHO they should be using the women's room, not the men's room. The only females who should be in the men's room AFAIC are mothers taking their sons to the bathroom.

 

[Andy B]

As a mother of 3 boys, I am always taking my boys in the bathroom with me. Granted I know it is different because womens restrooms have stalls.

But what if the father is a single father? I am not comfortable with my 9 yo ds going to the restroom by himself unless it is a one room bathroom with lock and I can see the door.

I realize it is tough it being a father and daughter type situation. If it was like this in our family (which it is not) my dh would probably try to lead "our" daughter with his hand over her eyes to a stall.

Unfortunately this is not "back in the day" where every one loved one another and did no harm to children.

I have gotten dirty looks from women before because I have taken my ds in with me. Fine by me. I will take those dirty looks any day over something happening to my children.

There is no 'back in the day where everyone loved each other and did no harm to children', statistically it is more likely that the parent leading the child will do harm to them than the stangers in the 'rest room'.

At what age do you leave children to go to a rest room themselves then?

 

[Andy B]

I can still remember my dad taking me into the mens room with him, the last time that happened I was probably six. It really didn't matter because men's rooms always seem to be deserted anyways.

With how creepy people are nowadays, I can understand why someone wouldn't want there kids to go to the bathroom by themselves. It would be nice though if they could cover the kids eyes until they get them to a stall.

There are no more 'creepy people' now than there were, but we live in a era of 24 hour wall to wall news and we are more aware, a lot was kept secret before.

 

[Andy B]

Well, I'm optimistic, but I'm also a realist. The reality is, kids do get hurt. And yes, it may be unlikely, but I'll be damned if my child is going to be the exception. There is no way I would leave my 9-10 year old alone while I went to the restroom, even if we are of the opposite sex, especially not swimming in a crowd of strangers. I'm less uncomfortable with the child being in the bathroom with opposite genders than I am with the child being left alone when who knows what could happen to him/her.

I read your post as not being optimistic and not realist, the reality is it is much more likely for your child to be assulted by a family member or friend than a stranger in a public place.

 

[letthewookiewin]

I always thought that this whole system was screwed up. The daughter is going to the bathroom, so IMHO they should be using the women's room, not the men's room. The only females who should be in the men's room AFAIC are mothers taking their sons to the bathroom.

It may be my lack of sleep or massive headache, so I may be understanding this wrong. You mean that you would rather see an adult woman go into the men's restroom to take her son to use the bathroom, than a father taking his daughter? If so that makes about as much since as saying you want to go to WDW the slowest week in the year and then go the week of Christmas. My number one job as a mom is to keep my kids safe. If I get dirty looks from other women in the restroom b/c I have my sons in there with me, well I can give dirty looks just as good as they can. I do let my 11 year old go to the bathroom by himself when we go out to eat. If my DH won't walk him to the bathroom, I go and stand outside. I give him a minute and if he's not out, I open the door and yell in. I was standing outside a restroom one time reminding DS10 of his time limit, and an elderly gentleman asked me if I would actually walk in. I just looked at him an said "Yes sir, I most definitely would." I used to work in a day care, and I've walked into plenty men's restrooms while we were on field trips b/c boys were taking too long.

 

[bicker]

You mean that you would rather see an adult woman go into the men's restroom to take her son to use the bathroom, than a father taking his daughter?

Yes.

If so that makes about as much since as saying you want to go to WDW the slowest week in the year and then go the week of Christmas.

No, not at all. You perhaps disagree with me, but my perspective makes as much sense as yours. Let me help you see the point, by having you answer a few questions. First: Why would you think it "makes sense" to take a female into a men's room to go to bathroom? Second: Why do you think it makes more sense to do so than the other way around?

My number one job as a mom is to keep my kids safe.

Third question: How is your son safer if you bring him into a women's room, versus you bringing him into a men's room?

I used to work in a day care, and I've walked into plenty men's restrooms while we were on field trips b/c boys were taking too long.

So you shouldn't have any problem taking younger boys in there yourself. Right?

 

[aubriee]

I'd forgotten about it until now. But I have a new twist for you guys. When I was there in May, I walked into the restroom in the UK (across from the Rose & Crown). Most of you probably know the one I'm talking about. I walked in with another lady and just behind us a man walked in with his wife and daughter. Both I and the lady that walked in with me, were in shock. Before I could say anything, the other lady demanded to know what he was doing in the ladies room and he said he was accompanying his wife and daughter because they didn't speak English. Excuse me, I don't think so . At the same time, several ladies in there started yelling for him to get out. He was determined to stay. His wife spoke rather frantically to him, but he just shook his head and motioned for the wife and daughter to go into a stall, while he stood there. A woman finally stalked out and called for security, who escorted him out, with him complaining the whole time that there was nothing wrong with him being in there, because his wife and daughter didn't speak English and he had a right to keep them safe. Excuse me but why would a grown woman with her child need a man to keep her safe in the ladies room (whether she spoke Enlish or not). This happened the first week of May this year.

 

[Andy B]

I'd forgotten about it until now. But I have a new twist for you guys. When I was there in May, I walked into the restroom in the UK (across from the Rose & Crown). Most of you probably know the one I'm talking about. I walked in with another lady and just behind us a man walked in with his wife and daughter. Both I and the lady that walked in with me, were in shock. Before I could say anything, the other lady demanded to know what he was doing in the ladies room and he said he was accompanying his wife and daughter because they didn't speak English. Excuse me, I don't think so . At the same time, several ladies in there started yelling for him to get out. He was determined to stay. His wife spoke rather frantically to him, but he just shook his head and motioned for the wife and daughter to go into a stall, while he stood there. A woman finally stalked out and called for security, who escorted him out, with him complaining the whole time that there was nothing wrong with him being in there, because his wife and daughter didn't speak English and he had a right to keep them safe. Excuse me but why would a grown woman with her child need a man to keep her safe in the ladies room (whether she spoke Enlish or not). This happened the first week of May this year.

This is just an extension of what many advocate for their quite mature children, he perceived there to be a safety issue and so wanted to keep them safe.

 

[WDSearcher]

I think Disney should provide a few family bathrooms. A lot of public places, such as shopping malls, etc have them here in Australia.

Disney does have companion and family bathrooms throughout all the parks, but they're not in every single restroom area.