Urinating in public

mysweetpeasWil&Wes wrote: I must ask...Do you allow your kids to urinate in public if you are not anywhere close to a bathroom?

I am not judging anyone who does, because Wil is of course still in diapers and I haven't experienced an emergency yet. You do whatcha gotta do sometimes! But...I took Wil to the park today and while getting him out of his carseat, there was a mom and two kids getting into their van two parking spots down from me (thank god). I could hear both kids saying "mom, I have to pee" and then the mom said "just go right there". I didn't turn around to look, but glanced in the window reflection and saw both kids (who were pretty big kids) urinating right on the asphalt by the car door. They left a HUGE puddle and it's not that I'm judging the mother for allowing this, but was grossed out picturing other cars pullup after they left, only to get out and step RIGHT in the puddle! And of course they wouldn't know what it was...water? I would probably think it's just water myself and step through it by accident. I wanted to warn all the new moms getting out of their cars, but didn't want to scream and scare the kids "Hey you, there is pee over there!!!" Hopefully everyone figured it out on their own.

So anyway, I'm only curious. I completely understand if that mom had a long trip ahead of her. But there was a lawn just a couple steps away...Probably a better spot IMO.

luvbug00 replied: I used to go in the woods as a child if there were no bathrooms close by. Mya will usualy hold it becuase she's to worried about cleanliness. we never had the problem yet and if she did need to i'd let her go ( in the woods or hidden by a bush but never in the street. ) ewww..

C&K*s Mommie replied: that is a tough one. Christian would better be able to hold it till we got to a conveinence store or something, but Kel, who we are working with now to potty train, if she were in underwear now, then IDK. IDK if I would allow her to go "right there". Thinking about it, I would scramble as fast as I could and take them to the restroom, or I would use the grass. But no, not on the concrete where I know other people would be stepping. At least not on purpose, accidents I can understand, and if I have water with me then I would dilute it as best as I could.

Now, on long trips to TN, growing up we used to pull to the side of the road - my mother would open the back passenger door and front passenger door and we would have to go there by the side of the road.

Kaitlin'smom replied: OMG never on concret, or anything paved ewwww the thougth of stepping in it.

okay a few weeks ago while at MIL's we went out shopping she lives way out so it takes 1 hour or more to get places, and its Omish country. Well Kait said she had to pee and could not hold it, grammy told her its just about 10 minutes up the road but I know of a place you can go, she said but I cant hold it. I told her we could either go on the side of the road (behind trees) or waite a few minutes. She siad she coudl not hold it I asked you want daddy to pull over she said yes, so he did. However the thought of really going outdoors freeked her out a bit and she said never mind I can hold it. She did aske once more to pull over but in the end we got to a potty for her. Now I am thinking of taking a portable potty next time we go.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
Yeah, we always did the same thing!

My2Beauties replied: Well...thank goodness we haven't encountered this yet, although Hanna is known for going in her pants when we're out in public if she can't hold it, because she is mortified of public restrooms. That is a whole different story but anywhoo - I was with a friend one time who was watching her nephew, we went down to the Waterfront Park to let the kids play and we walked around, he had to go really bad and all the restrooms at this park were locked for some reason, so she let him go on a tree It was so cute because he was like don't look Aunt Bridgit and tell your friend not to look neither He was scared to do it but he had to go, I think he was 3 maybe 4 at the time. This wasn't that long ago. I guess if it was an emergency and they had to go I would let them, I mean what can you do honestly if there isn't anything around and they can't hold it anymore?

C&K*s Mommie replied: That has been on my mind for a long time, it would esp be great since we are working with Kel now.

JP&KJMOM replied: Throughout years of long distance traveling with 2 kids we have stopped on the side of the road many times. Most of the time we are out in the grass and JP stands on the running boards of my Tahoe or Jason's truck and goes. Karlee is a different story. If she can hold it then we get to a store but a few times we had no choice so she has done it to. Little harder for a girl but she is the reason we carry tissue in all of our vehicles.

BTW we are from the country so it is really no big deal to us. If ya gotta go ya gotta go!

punkeemunkee'smom replied: Well we just had this come up a few trips ago. Tay had to go-and the sale was locked up so I told her that we would have to go outside or wait-she waited for a few minutes and then said " Momma how do you go outside?" so we found a corner -on grass though- and she went potty. Then she had to tell Daddy 'Guess what daddy I went pee OUTSIDE!!!" Now it is not a big deal if nobody is around and she has to go.I still carry pull-ups for emergencies going down the road but she will hold it the best she can before that We went back to that sale lastnight and she says 'LOOK I went pee outside here the first time!' On pavement that is pretty gross-I would not do that but when a kid has to go they have to go NOW right?


ETA~ Around here at rodeos and such you have to be careful when you are walking around the trailers and such-you may just catch more than one(NOT so little cowboy) answering the call of nature...

TANNER'S MOM replied: Well I am a country girl..and I admit to peeing outside, horse trailer etc. My kids will all tell you that I have toilet paper in my vehicle at all times and hand santizer so there is NO question about how clean I am!

I have seen many people restrooms where I would have rather pee'd outside then even squat or walk across there floors!

I have boys and boys are a little different.. my boys pee outside all the time in the country.. they water the tree's or grass. They have been taught to be discreet...and hid.

Now if we are in town.. and they have to go.. then we would use the old fashion bottle method. Go in the bottle and toss it. No one can see you..and no one step in it. That works for boys, not girls. But for some reason boys don't hold it as well..

All men have pee'd in public and it will happen to all.. I promise!

punkeemunkee'smom replied:

You gotta watch them horse trailers though sometimes they have bees in them! LOL and there is nothing like a full moon to rile up some bees

holley79 replied: Well we use to go in the woods if there were no bathroom around but never on the asphalt. It splashes on your shoes. LOL. The little boy I use to keep would not come in to go to the potty. He was outside playing with his friends at their house. When he came in I asked him if he needed to go potty and he said, "Nope I watered the trees.".

CantWait replied: Well i'm not proud, but I do admit when Anthony was first learning to use the potty, I let him pee on the pavement outside of the car if there was no bathroom around.

I would rather him do that then pee in his pants or pee in a pull up which to me would have been detering him from asking to go when he had to or him thinking that he had made the mistake.

Edited to say, now that he's almost 3 and has been potty trained for some time, and can hold it, I wouldn't allow him to do this unless we were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by bush.

ilovemybaby replied: I would never tell my kids to pee in a car park. If they can't wait till we get home it would be the bushes or somewhere no-one can see and somewhere no one would step in it later. I think it's disgusting to go to a playground and find pee in the play equipment (like the big tubes that kids climb inside) or to be walking on a path at the park and see pee on the ground where people will walk in it.

ilovemybaby replied:
ITA I'd rather have my child pee in their pants/pull-up than use some public toilets. They are disgusting. I wonder if they ever get cleaned. Half the ones I have gone into don't have soap or have run out of toilet paper. And if I can't wash my hands I'd rather hold on.

Heather77 replied:
Ditto for us!!!

widgetX12 replied: I think its okay if its not interfering/disturbing other people. Peeing on a sidewalk or asphalt where people typically walk is impolite imo.

My3LilMonkeys replied: Being a country girl here too, I have done my share of peeing outside. I have always had a small bladder and we took lots of long trips as kids - we would often have to pull over and find a bush.

I have no problem with public urination as long as it is discreet and not in a place where lots of people will be walking. On the pavement by the car is gross unless it is absolutely necessary - I do understand that with some kids, now means NOW and you don't get much of a choice.