Saturday, April 04, 2009

Bathroom Benchmarks

Everyone talks about when their children are potty trained...meaning when they pee or poop in the toilet. (Being surrounded by dozens of potty training children daily...'my child is potty trained' has various (and often incorrect) meanings).

But what about these points:
When can your child use a public bathroom stall alone? And lock the door?
When can you child go to a public restroom without you (e.g. you are at dinner and your child needs to go...when do you send them in alone)?
When can your son use the urinal?
When should boys stop going in the Women's Room with Mom or girls to the Men's Room with Dad?

These are the benchmarks that signify you are winning the war on the washroom.

2 comments:

The Fearless Freak said...

But what about these points:
When can your child use a public bathroom stall alone? And lock the door?

TB could about 5. MT still can't. She can lock it just fine but has issues with unlocking occasionally and instead of dealing with her panic at being locked in, I just have her not lock it.

When can you child go to a public restroom without you (e.g. you are at dinner and your child needs to go...when do you send them in alone)?

Again, TB can, at 7, in certain situations. If I can see the bathroom, if we are between the exit and the bathroom, depending on how busy the place is, etc

When can your son use the urinal?

Depends on the place. Some of them have them low enough that at 6, he could manage them. Some of them, he apparently has years before he will be tall enough.

When should boys stop going in the Women's Room with Mom or girls to the Men's Room with Dad?

I'm the crazy over-protective mother and still take TB in the women's with me. I do occasionally allow him in the men's, especially if one of the adult males are with us (not that have any compulsion about going in after him if need be but it is easier if my dad or husband or brother is with us) but that is a rare event. I have no idea how old he will be when I feel comfortable letting him do it on a regular basis

Anonymous said...

I don't know what my answer will be to any of these questions. However, I must say that having a third grade boy in the stall next to me the other day was really uncomfortable.