Dads in the Ladies' Room?

[Planogirl]

It's more of a problem when it comes to the comfort of others rather than what can be seen in my opinion. I think that adult men should not be in the ladies room but I realize that there are no perfect answers. Plus I'm surprised that the ladies room is ever a faster option. I've waited in some killer lines!

 

[maxiesmom]

I think the parent should take the child into whatever gender restroom the parent is. Easy enough to hold your hands over their eyes while you are going in and out.

 

[DisneyOma]

So you combat that with a young female potentially seeing the private parts of adult males as they walk by urinals.

I would hazard a guess that unless those cracks are an inch or wider, you're STILL not seeing anything other than there's someone in there (then you should avert your eyes).

Aren't the men facing the urinals when they pee? What would a girl see? And so what if she did see a *****? Why do we make it such a horrible thing to just see one? Half of our species have one, and to see a bit of one while a guy is zipping up pants shouldn't be the traumatic even we try to turn it in to, should it? But I don't think its traumatic to have a dad escorting a kid into a stall, as long as he goes in the stall with the kid too.

 

[NYCgrrl]

It's more of a problem when it comes to the comfort of others rather than what can be seen in my opinion. I think that adult men should not be in the ladies room but I realize that there are no perfect answers. Plus I'm surprised that the ladies room is ever a faster option. I've waited in some killer lines!

Broadway shows are the worst for waiting in the womens' line. Every once in a while women get tired of waiting and rush the mens' room in mass, LOL . Generally starts happening when the house lights dim the first time.

 

[mjkacmom]

Broadway shows are the worst for waiting in the womens' line. Every once in a while women get tired of waiting and rush the mens' room in mass, LOL . Generally starts happening when the house lights dim the first time.

I’m ready to dash to the restroom as soon as the lights come on, and if I have kids with me they know the drill. It’s stressfu to still be in line when they flicker the lights. Actually our HS only has a 3 staller by the auditorium, so same deal for HS shows, by the time I’m washing my hands, there are dozens in line.

 

[mummabear]

Where a family restroom or change room is avaible it should be used.

The 5-6 year old kid is old enough to go into a bathroom by himself, so even if he was with an opposite sex parent, the had no business in a ladies bathroom.

I do think dads taking preschool girls into a men's public bathroom is more problematic because of the urinals.

I do have huge issues with mothers taking their school aged boys into womens change rooms at the pool.

 

[EveDallas]

I think men should bring their small kids in to the men's room because of the bolded. And yes it is because of societal norms, it isn't the norm to see men in the woman's room or vice versa so there is nothing wrong with expecting adults to use the restroom that matches their gender.

What if the kids couldn't wait? Sometimes little ones can't. Is the dad supposed to chance his kids wetting themselves because he's afraid of what someone will think? That's nuts. A parent needs to take care of their kids and if others don't like it, too bad.

 

[Hikergirl]

What if the kids couldn't wait? Sometimes little ones can't. Is the dad supposed to chance his kids wetting themselves because he's afraid of what someone will think? That's nuts. A parent needs to take care of their kids and if others don't like it, too bad.

LOL, where do you go that the men's and ladies rooms are so far apart that would be that much of a concern.
And yes it is apparent you don't care, inconsiderate people usually don't. It isn't about what people will think you know, it is about what women and young girls feel when they see some strange man in their bathroom. Some of us care about them.
I happen to not care, however this isn't about just me, it's about all women in that restroom.
You are free to be selfish and think because you dont't care everyone else should just deal with it, and I am free to see you as inconsiderate of others. Have a great day.

 

[mjkacmom]

What if the kids couldn't wait? Sometimes little ones can't. Is the dad supposed to chance his kids wetting themselves because he's afraid of what someone will think? That's nuts. A parent needs to take care of their kids and if others don't like it, too bad.

It’s very rare for the line for the men’s room to be longer than the ladies room. I’ve raised 5 kids yet managed to avoid taking kids into the men’s room myself.

 

[goofyernmost]

I feel for these dads! If your daughter is still little and needs some assistance in a public restroom, I think that it is totally ok for dad to accompany her. I would rather see a dad in the ladies room than see a dad walking his daughter past a row of urinals to the one stall in the men's bathroom in hopes that it is vacant. I would not assume ill intent unless I saw it - otherwise we are all just trying to pee...

Finally, A man in a ladies room with small children are, by nature of the facilities, not going to see very much of importance. Bringing daughters into men's rooms, however, can easily leave little to the imaginations. Remember urinals?? I've seen urinals in men's rooms that were basically a ceramic troth that ran the length of a wall, wide open. Now if the man lingers and sends the girls out while he just stands there and stares... call security.

 

[sam_gordon]

And so what if she did see a *****? Why do we make it such a horrible thing to just see one? Half of our species have one, and to see a bit of one while a guy is zipping up pants shouldn't be the traumatic even we try to turn it in to, should it?

Couldn't you say the same thing going the other way?

Who cares if a male see a ******? Why do we make it such a horrible thing to just see one? Half of our species have one, and to see a bit of one through a crack in the door frame shouldn't be the traumatic event we try to turn it in to, should it?

 

[sam_gordon]

LOL, where do you go that the men's and ladies rooms are so far apart that would be that much of a concern.
And yes it is apparent you don't care, inconsiderate people usually don't. It isn't about what people will think you know, it is about what women and young girls feel when they see some strange man in their bathroom. Some of us care about them.
I happen to not care, however this isn't about just me, it's about all women in that restroom.
You are free to be selfish and think because you dont't care everyone else should just deal with it, and I am free to see you as inconsiderate of others. Have a great day.

So basically if someone feels uncomfortable, despite logic, we should avoid the situation so that doesn't happen? Dangerous line of thinking.

 

[gotomu212]

I don’t have a ton of experience with men’s rooms but a lot of them only have 1 maybe 2 stalls and if they are occupied it can be for a somewhat longer need so to speak. A little girl needs to sit on a toilet.p, and I personally am not a huge fan of my little girl walking past strangers peeing into a urinal or open trough.

Family restrooms would be ideal but there aren’t enough of them and the lines can get really long and kids can’t wait. So for me I’d prefer a man take a little girl into a women’s stall over through a men’s room.

Either way more and more bathrooms in my area and other cities I visit are going non-gendered to deal with a variety of concerns so I’m not shocked by seeing anyone in the bathroom as long as they aren’t in my stall.

 

[EveDallas]

LOL, where do you go that the men's and ladies rooms are so far apart that would be that much of a concern.
And yes it is apparent you don't care, inconsiderate people usually don't. It isn't about what people will think you know, it is about what women and young girls feel when they see some strange man in their bathroom. Some of us care about them.
I happen to not care, however this isn't about just me, it's about all women in that restroom.
You are free to be selfish and think because you dont't care everyone else should just deal with it, and I am free to see you as inconsiderate of others. Have a great day.

I was referring to the OP saying the long for the family restroom was long. And if caring more about kids than what some random adult thinks is selfish, then I'm happy to be selfish.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Maybe the father is trans* and he was using the bathroom that corresponded with his assigned sex as many people feel he should.

Personally, I look forward to the day public restrooms/changing rooms are converted into coed facilities so these issues can be avoided altogether.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

This is a hard question. I wouldn't want my young daughter in a men's restroom, nor would I want her in the ladies room by herself.

Taking a little girl into a busy men's room means she's likely to get an eyefull. I really don't understand why men are expected to pee communally like animals. On the other hand, I am 37 years old and I have not yet seen other ladies' private parts in a public women's restroom under normal circumstances (we are not counting bathrooms at the gym or ones that drunk people are using), all the action happens behind closed stall doors, so it's not like a man was going to see anything in there. I have seen men ask to come into the ladies room because it had the only baby changing area when I worked retail in high school. My manager would have us shut down the ladies room for a few minutes and it was no big deal.

Maybe we just need to move to unisex restrooms without urinals, or put in more family restrooms.

 

[GreatLakes]

I thought we were in a post-gender world where it doesn't matter who uses what restroom. Well, maybe not in North Carolina.

I've been using public restrooms for a long time and have never looked through a door gap to see what was going on in there. I can't imagine the first time I enter a ladies room all of a sudden I'd need to take a look.

 

[mjkacmom]

Maybe the father is trans* and he was using the bathroom that corresponded with his assigned sex as many people feel he should.

Personally, I look forward to the day public restrooms/changing rooms are converted into coed facilities so these issues can be avoided altogether.

It depends, if he identifies as a woman, he should use the ladies room, if he identifies male, then the men’s room. The adult should be in the proper gender restroom, the kids should use the restroom their parents use until old enough to go on their own.

 

[mjkacmom]

This is a hard question. I wouldn't want my young daughter in a men's restroom, nor would I want her in the ladies room by herself.

Taking a little girl into a busy men's room means she's likely to get an eyefull. I really don't understand why men are expected to pee communally like animals. On the other hand, I am 37 years old and I have not yet seen other ladies' private parts in a public women's restroom under normal circumstances (we are not counting bathrooms at the gym or ones that drunk people are using), all the action happens behind closed stall doors, so it's not like a man was going to see anything in there. I have seen men ask to come into the ladies room because it had the only baby changing area when I worked retail in high school. My manager would have us shut down the ladies room for a few minutes and it was no big deal.

Maybe we just need to move to unisex restrooms without urinals, or put in more family restrooms.

Men are not standing around the urinals swinging their junk, just put up your hand and escort the child to a stall. It is way more common for dad’s to take their daughters into the men’s room than dad’s taking them into the ladies room (I’ve never seen a dad in the ladies room, DH has seen many little girls in the men’s room).

 

[Maleficent Faery]

Have to make those tough calls sometimes. The dad probably didn’t not want to take his daughter into the men’s room where men are using urinals.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Men are not standing around the urinals swinging their junk, just put up your hand and escort the child to a stall. It is way more common for dad’s to take their daughters into the men’s room than dad’s taking them into the ladies room (I’ve never seen a dad in the ladies room, DH has seen many little girls in the men’s room).

I don't think I said they were having a naked dance party in there, but almost every men's room I have ever walked into had the urinals positioned so that you would get a nice side view of of the action as soon as you came through the door. Admittedly, I haven't been in many men's rooms though... Anyway, I wasn't saying my way was the only right way, just saying I would prefer that my young daughter not spend time in the men's room. Kids are curious, maybe yours are more obedient than mine but if I told my daughter not to look at something or tried to prevent her from seeing it she would do everything in her power to look at that thing