3 year old peeing in a potty in the corner of a museum

[Griddlesizzle]

As it says in the title. Mother just whips the potty out and the child pees away, without the mum even asking anyone if there was a loo nearby. As a side point, the loo was less than 10m away…

Ai by - it’s pretty vile
Aibu - what else are you gonna do?

[Crunchymum]

How do you know how old the child was?

Surely the age is a moot point?

[mayblossominapril]

The hand dyers in the loo may cause a melt down so they avoid the public loos

[DPotter]

When a toddler needs to go, they need to go. better a potty than a puddle and an upset child and hassled Mum.

Maybe the mother knew exactly where the toilet was and also knew the kid wouldn't make it

[helpfulperson]

It's OK in an emergency but a quick look around for a loo first is not unreasonable.

[Yangbang]

Some kids won't use a public toilet because of hand dryers.
Don't think it really matters, as long as it wasn't on the floor

[SylvanasWindrunner]

I'm on the fence with this. DD is potty training at the moment and doing really well so we are starting to go out and about. She is usually able to tell me in plenty of time that she needs to go so we can find a toilet but occasionally it takes her by surprise a bit if she's been immersed in something and she has to wee quite quickly. It hasn't happened when we are out yet but it might. And tbh if it's a toss-up between a quick wee in the corner and her wetting herself then I'll do the former because the latter is much more unpleasant for everyone.

It's not ideal though and it would stress me out, but I think sometimes it's just one of those life things that happens with a newly potty training toddler.

[MrsKeats]

Is parenting now a race to the bottom? (no pun intended)
Utterly grim.

[YouBringLightInToADarkPlace]

Not something I could get worked up about. When they need to go, they need to go.

[immersivereader]

Utterly ridiculous.

Yanbu.

[AliceAyres]

I once saw a mum whip a potty out for her 4/5 year old in the middle of a busy high street. Awkward doesn't begin to explain it. Especially since the boy was protesting and getting quite hysterical saying he didn't want to do it. She forced him to. It was grim.

It was opposite a M&S too which obvs has toilets so idk what the woman's thought process was. So odd.

[Cheeseycheeseycheesecheese]

If the toddler is potty training, needs must, sometimes it's faster to pull it out the bag than it is to look around.
Like above, much better in a potty than a puddle with an upset child child a harassed mum...

[fourandnomore]

Dependent on so many factors, none of which you know so perhaps reserve judgement.

[Andromache77]

Unacceptable. That's what bathrooms are for; if they still wish to use the potty there, that's fine. And if the child is not potty-trained yet, then a museum is the wrong place for them. So basically, this is not ok and can never be ok.

Funny how this doesn't happen elsewhere in the world (certainly not where I live, in continental Europe, where carrying a potty around is unheard of) and children still grow up untraumatised.

[IamJuliaJohnson]

They often don’t give you much notice at that age. One of mine announced he needed a wee, and then created a puddle in the middle of White Stuff before I’d even managed to get the emergency potty from under the pram. The staff were beyond wonderful about it, and what could have been an awful experience was a fond memory.

[KingsleyShacklebolt]

Horrendous and completely inappropriate.

No excuse.

[NannyR]

I've potty trained eleven kids as a nanny and never needed to whip out a potty in public. If they are at the stage where you are taking them out and about, then they should be able to hold on for a few minutes to get to a loo. Also, I consider the child's dignity - as an adult I wouldn't be happy using the toilet in public, so why make a child do it.

[Curtaintwitching]

She was not harassed and I know the age of the child because we were out with them. Relatives of my DH

[MintyCedric]

@fourandnomore

Dependent on so many factors, none of which you know so perhaps reserve judgement.

Precisely.

I mean it's not brilliant but you've no idea of the circumstances. I couldn't bring myself to get worked up about it tbh.

[Curtaintwitching]

She did it in the drive of the new house they were buying about 2 months ago. I can’t say I am therefore surprised. I just find it unnecessary.

[SylvanasWindrunner]

@Curtaintwitching

She did it in the drive of the new house they were buying about 2 months ago. I can’t say I am therefore surprised. I just find it unnecessary.

A fitting username then

[WorraLiberty]

@Curtaintwitching

She was not harassed and I know the age of the child because we were out with them. Relatives of my DH

Given the other thread you've literally just started as well as this one, I wouldn't bother going out with them again.

You clearly don't like them.

[FuckeryOmbudsman]

Agree that it's better a potty than a puddle

But not in the middle of a museum.

Even if you know you've only got a short while before crisis, you still get to the most secluded place possible. Ideally close to somewhere with emptying facilities.

And if you have a DC that unreliable, then frequent loo breaks whenever passing suitable places (and indeed planning loo stops at the interval the DC is reliable with) will be a feature of your life

[gardeninggirl68]

@MrsKeats

Is parenting now a race to the bottom? (no pun intended)
Utterly grim.

this!!! because where will it end, with just a wee?

and then a parent has to negotiate through to the toilet to dispose of contents

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

That is not ok. It just isn't.

[Eilatan2018]

Vile? The child was 3. Get a massive grip it’s no big deal.