Age not to take boy into restaurant ladies bathroom

[Anonymous]

^^ it autocorrected to mommy, I’m not randomly using that word to describe another woman

[Anonymous]

The men's bathroom at the park near my house (across the street from a major employer, and right off a freeway) has men meet up for sex. You really don't know what is happening in park bathrooms. Even if you are comfortable with bathrooms in restaurants, please be careful in park bathrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like you do what you have to do, and if your 8 year old isn’t responsible enough to go to the bathroom alone, you take them to the women’s bathroom.

However, I really think boys over the age of 5 or so should not go into Women’s locker rooms. My daughter became really self conscious changing in front of a boy her age in the locker room at the pool once, and I thought it was crazy that mommy brought him in there (he, and my DD, were about 5).

Locker rooms usually have a rule right around 5 - like 5 and under okay, or 5 and up not okay. When my older ds hit that age at our swim facility, I switched to bundling the kids up in swim robes and took them to the car that way instead of having them change in a locker room. This is what I am talking about - moms of girls have so much less planning to do so the complaining about bathroom stuff (not the locker room, situation, which I get, but about public bathrooms with stalls) is annoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're fine at least until 6 in my opinion, maybe up to 8.

Can't remember when we stopped saying potty-- maybe 5? 4 seems fine for this too.

Six
8 is way too old. You can stand outside men's room and wait for him. I did it with both of my sons. Also, please remember the age limit for dressing rooms at pools!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

family bathrooms should be required everywhere.

+1

And more than one of them would be nice. I know this is about bathrooms, but the "family" changing rooms at the community pools are great, but there is like one per facility. My 6.5 year old DS and I were standing outside of the changing room (our stuff was inside in one of the lockers) for about 20 minutes waiting for a dad and his toddler to shower and get dressed. And then when we do get in I feel super paranoid and rushed because I know what it's like to have to wait to get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

family bathrooms should be required everywhere.

+1

And more than one of them would be nice. I know this is about bathrooms, but the "family" changing rooms at the community pools are great, but there is like one per facility. My 6.5 year old DS and I were standing outside of the changing room (our stuff was inside in one of the lockers) for about 20 minutes waiting for a dad and his toddler to shower and get dressed. And then when we do get in I feel super paranoid and rushed because I know what it's like to have to wait to get in.

Ugh. People at the pool are the worst. Nothing like waiting 20+ minutes for one with your opposite sex child(ren) for a mom and her 3 teenage daughters to come out. The last time a guy came out with his toddler son. Come on, dude - take him into the locker room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the dirty look even for? There are stalls...why should she care if a boy is in there?

I have a 5 year old boy and would never send him Into the men’s room alone. I think he could manage but there are just too many creeps and weirdos out there.

I care because those of you have that no control whatsoever over your kids anymore will zone out while letting that 5 year old crawl around on the floor and peek up until the stall I'm in. While you continue to zone out/stare into the air. It gets old.

I have never and would never allow my kids to do that and I’ve never been in a restroom where someone else’s kids did that to me either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like you do what you have to do, and if your 8 year old isn’t responsible enough to go to the bathroom alone, you take them to the women’s bathroom.

However, I really think boys over the age of 5 or so should not go into Women’s locker rooms. My daughter became really self conscious changing in front of a boy her age in the locker room at the pool once, and I thought it was crazy that mommy brought him in there (he, and my DD, were about 5).

I don't understand why people even do this. I never even took my sons in the locker room at the pool. I would literally (even when they were well below the age to be allowed in there) enter at the shower end, use the showers closest to the entrance, and then just dress them super quickly in there. The one time we used the locker room to change (we weren't coming from home) there was a little girl from pre-school in the locker room. Yikes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm kind of shocked some of you are saying its fine to bring a 7/8 year old boy into the women's room. I would give you the side eye if I saw this too. Unclench and let your son use the men's room or if you really can't handle it find a family restroom.

It's ok if you are shocked. Those of us who have done it really don't care about your side eyes.

I will report you to management at public pools and any other public restroom. Six is the magic age for boys to go to men's room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're fine at least until 6 in my opinion, maybe up to 8.

Can't remember when we stopped saying potty-- maybe 5? 4 seems fine for this too.

Six
8 is way too old. You can stand outside men's room and wait for him. I did it with both of my sons. Also, please remember the age limit for dressing rooms at pools!

This only works if you know the bathroom and know it had a single exit.

Trust moms’ judgment on this. They are making the call they think best for their sons’ safety. As for the girls, many have brothers are understand that sometimes a situation is unusual and calls for his coming in with mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm kind of shocked some of you are saying its fine to bring a 7/8 year old boy into the women's room. I would give you the side eye if I saw this too. Unclench and let your son use the men's room or if you really can't handle it find a family restroom.

It's ok if you are shocked. Those of us who have done it really don't care about your side eyes.

I will report you to management at public pools and any other public restroom. Six is the magic age for boys to go to men's room.

Go for it. And I’ll explain to management why I made that call.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some 9 yo girls already have their periods. They shouldn’t have to worry about running into a boy from school in a public bathroom.

How is this relevant? Everything happens IN the stall, with the exception of hand washing. I guess I don't get what the big deal is.

To answer OPs question, my sons would have rather peed their pants then come in the bathroom with be after 6 or so. I have two, so I send them in there together with a warning that they have 2 minutes (no fooling around, basically).

So from that perspective, there is no reason to excludes males of any age, right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the way, it's not just children that get murdered in bathrooms.
Adults have also been murdered in public restrooms. You can't have every adult male going into women's rooms with their mommies for the rest of their lives.

There have also been little girls who were sent in to restaurant bathrooms alone who were assaulted. Just stay with your kids, people.

What should a single dad do with a girl of various ages? When -- if at all -- should he be taking her with him into the men's bathroom? Or should he be escorting her into the women's bathroom, since everything happens in the stalls anyway? Up to what age -- or is it up to him and his comfort level?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At a restaurant or other smaller venue, where I can easily monitor from outside the door, I’d send him into the men’s room at about age 5.

For something like the Verizon Center? More like 8. Although a lot of these types of places have family restrooms now, which is great.

Funny story: I was out with my nephew when he was about five. I sent him into the men’s room with strict instructions to scream at the top of his lungs if something was wrong. Two minutes later, an ear piercing shriek. I burst in. He’s standing in front of the sink and calmly says “I can’t reach the soap.”

Hahaha I love this story. Could totally see my 3 year old doing something like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some 9 yo girls already have their periods. They shouldn’t have to worry about running into a boy from school in a public bathroom.

How is this relevant? Everything happens IN the stall, with the exception of hand washing. I guess I don't get what the big deal is.

To answer OPs question, my sons would have rather peed their pants then come in the bathroom with be after 6 or so. I have two, so I send them in there together with a warning that they have 2 minutes (no fooling around, basically).

So from that perspective, there is no reason to excludes males of any age, right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the way, it's not just children that get murdered in bathrooms.
Adults have also been murdered in public restrooms. You can't have every adult male going into women's rooms with their mommies for the rest of their lives.

There have also been little girls who were sent in to restaurant bathrooms alone who were assaulted. Just stay with your kids, people.

What should a single dad do with a girl of various ages? When -- if at all -- should he be taking her with him into the men's bathroom? Or should he be escorting her into the women's bathroom, since everything happens in the stalls anyway? Up to what age -- or is it up to him and his comfort level?

I trust the dad to make this call for his own child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some 9 yo girls already have their periods. They shouldn’t have to worry about running into a boy from school in a public bathroom.

How is this relevant? Everything happens IN the stall, with the exception of hand washing. I guess I don't get what the big deal is.

To answer OPs question, my sons would have rather peed their pants then come in the bathroom with be after 6 or so. I have two, so I send them in there together with a warning that they have 2 minutes (no fooling around, basically).

So from that perspective, there is no reason to excludes males of any age, right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the way, it's not just children that get murdered in bathrooms.
Adults have also been murdered in public restrooms. You can't have every adult male going into women's rooms with their mommies for the rest of their lives.

There have also been little girls who were sent in to restaurant bathrooms alone who were assaulted. Just stay with your kids, people.

What should a single dad do with a girl of various ages? When -- if at all -- should he be taking her with him into the men's bathroom? Or should he be escorting her into the women's bathroom, since everything happens in the stalls anyway? Up to what age -- or is it up to him and his comfort level?

I trust the dad to make this call for his own child.

PP. I do, too. With more single dads out there, I expect we will see more adult men in the women's restrooms, if alternatives are not available. I'd be glad to read a consensus that this isn't objectionable to anyone posting in this thread. That would be great!