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HumorDear boy in the gender neutral airport bathroom:
Dear boy in the gender neutral bathroom at the airport:
I see your confusion at seeing a woman washing her hands in the same bathroom that your mom is leading you into. Heck, it probably would only mildly shock me if your mom was leading you into a designated women’s bathroom, seeing as you can’t be older than 7. Just be glad it’s me in here at 10:45 at night and not someone looking to harm you. Were you my child, I’d be taking you to the designated women’s bathroom or the clearly marked family bathroom right there instead of telling you to pick any stall. As such, I’m in here because it’s late at night, this is the closest bathroom to the gage we just arrived at, and my husband had to go too.
But I hope you will continue to feel uncomfortable when sharing a mixed-sex space with women. I hope by the time you’re my age that this is all a thing of the past, and women are free to have their own spaces away from men, including you (sorry, not sorry).
Sincerely,
Woman in the gender neutral bathroom at the airport
I see your confusion at seeing a woman washing her hands in the same bathroom that your mom is leading you into. Heck, it probably would only mildly shock me if your mom was leading you into a designated women’s bathroom, seeing as you can’t be older than 7
OP, I think you might have been projecting your own feelings and concerns onto this boy when you decided he felt confusion, shock and discomfort at "seeing a woman washing her hands in the same bathroom that your mom is leading you into." Since the boy was being led into the restroom by a woman, I wouldn't be so sure he was taken aback by the sight of another woman in there.
Were you my child, I’d be taking you to the designated women’s bathroom
Isn't it better that he's in a gender-neutral bathroom than a women's bathroom? I always felt uncomfortable taking my sons into women's bathrooms when they were little (and indeed, they all just refused after about 4-5 and insisted on using the men's rooms) and would have appreciated the option of a gender-neutral bathroom or family bathroom, were they available.
I’m curious-were they using men’s facilities all by themselves at 4-5? Did you ever feel worried about them using the men’s washroom?
Personally, I let mine use the bathroom by himself from about 5. I always told him not to talk to adults, and if anyone bothered him to kick, scream, bite and run away. He especially relished the idea of getting to bite someone consequence free 😂
I mean, nothing is 100% safe 🤷♀️
I still get nervous about allowing my son into the restroom by himself, because men. He was using the men’s at the airport a few months ago and a sketchy-looking dude walked in, so I got as close to the entrance as I could without going in. Apparently, said sketchy dude stopped my son because he thought he was a girl (he has longer hair) to lecture him about how unsafe it was for a girl to be in the men’s room. My son then explained how he's actually a boy and if anyone tried to mess with him, he'd kick ‘em in the balls. Anyway, I'm a lot less nervous now since apparently the kid has a plan.
They generally used the "buddy system." I'd send them in with a brother whenever I could. Otherwise, I'd stand outside the men's bathroom and wait, and I wasn't above popping the door open and asking if they were okay if they took longer than expected. And yes, I felt worried, but I also felt like I needed to respect their comfort levels. They were quite clear about wanting to use the male facilities and being uncomfortable in the female facilities. I get that and respected it. I remember as a little girl once needing to go into the male facilities once with my dad, and I felt so out of place.
I had to go into the men’s locker room with my dad when I was around 4. He put his hand over my eyes except for when he made me change under a towel. I appreciate it now, but at the time I was so confused. After that, he’d just ask a woman going into the locker room if she minded keeping an eye on me 😂 (I didn’t actually need any help because I was used to the routine by that age, but I think he wanted the peace of mind to know that I hadn’t run off).
I don’t understand. How would taking this boy into the women’s bathroom lessen his confusion about sharing mixed-sex spaces with women?
The debate about bringing boys under a certain age into the women’s bathroom has been had a few times here and I won’t get into all of that but why would the women’s be any better than the gender-neutral bathroom? Kudos to his mother for not bringing him into a single-sex space. Sure, the family bathroom (I assume single person/family occupancy) might have been even safer, but maybe she was tired and wasn’t paying attention. Or maybe she had to use the bathroom too and felt it was safe enough for her to be in a multi-stall bathroom with her son at a time when the airport was less crowded. Maybe the best solution would have been if the father were there and took his son to the men’s bathroom, but I really don’t see what this woman did wrong?