Weeing behind a bush in the park

[RockingMyFiftiesNot]

To be clear up front; I am neither the person weeing nor the person complaining . Just seen this on a local FB page and thought MN might like to debate this one.

Local park, where there are toilets but not predictable if/when they will be open.

Busy local FB page, someone posted along the lines of 'if you were the woman weeing behind a bush in xxx park today when my children might have seen you with your trousers down, I hope you are ashamed of yourself'

Very mixed responses.... before I share them (or my personal thoughts), what do you think?

I feel sorry for the woman that someone put it on the Facebook page

This is why we need actual public toilets.

I had a major prolapse after the birth of my dc3 and until surgery had to do this occasionally, otherwise I could barely have left the house with my DCs - and it would have been SO much worse if it had happened now, when fewer cafes or shops are open to letting people use the facilities.

Struggling with bladder issues as an adult is full of fear and humiliation. I hope that people on here have a think before they raise their eyebrows at others, let alone mouth off on social media.

Here's a woman in her 30s who had to wet herself because she couldn't use a cinema's toilets. It's truly horrible to have to live like this, and immoral that public bodies are able to shut public facilities as they have done. metro.co.uk/2019/12/09/mum-wet-vue-staff-refused-let-use-toilet-11413900/

I think this is ridiculous. Surely a bit of wild weeing is fine. I have always had a weak bladder and after two children it's awful and I have wet myself in public before. The poor lady went and found a bush. When did we start being so unkind!

The availability of public loos varies a lot - in London there are hardly any, certainly none at my local park. I have noticed on my UK holidays how some towns have loads of public toilets, and clean ones with loo paper at that. They must have really good local councils!

@GreyhoundG1rl believe me, a supermarket trip would have to be carefully and strategically planned. Only a supermarket with a toilet. Or like I have to do, avoid the supermarket altogether and arrange an online delivery.

I’ve not done it since I was a young child but I don’t think I’d judge unless the tree happened to be right next to public toilets that are clearly open.
My DC have to wee in public a lot more than they ever did nowadays because some amenities still aren’t open, it is what it is …

PS: maxi dresses/skirts are the most modest garments for emergency visits to the shrubbery, provided one is able to discretely remove one's underwear first.

@FindingMeno

I feel sorry for the woman that someone put it on the Facebook page

So do I. I don't know why the poster didn't just say to their children 'it's like when we were at xxxx and you needed the toilet and there weren't any... now look away and give the lady some privacy'..... rather than telling the children they were traumatised by it then running off to post the same on FB.

Gosh, I've been caught short before. I got lost in a popular wooded area once. I kept desperately trying to find my way back to the car (it was a huge area) and it got to the point I just couldn't hold it any longer! No one was around, if someone caught sight of me I would have been mortified, especially if they then put a post up about it!

It's honestly a nightmare at the moment as most toilets are closed. Going shopping with kids is now mean feat when you hear the dreaded words 'I need a wee wee'. There's also times I've barely made it home from the shops without setting myself!

Please excuse the typos

No big deal and I doubt the woman wanted to have to.

Poor woman, the children might have seen her but it sounds like they didnt, to post something like that on fb is spiteful.

Oh I'm sure their children have never had to make an emergency pee stop .

Also some people just make it up to get a bit of attention and interaction. Some people are weird.

@Verbena87

After my birth injuries and resulting pelvic floor dysfunction, I wouldn’t judge. And if you’ve never pissed all over yourself by accident in public whilst sober, I think you don’t have enough emotional data to make that judgement either. Not everyone can wait.

Yep. I'm with you.

With public toilets being closed this has become a real issue for women in lockdown, especially those of us with bladder issues. I’ve been caught short myself and had to pee in places I’d rather not , it if I hadn’t I’d have wet myself. I would like the woman mentioned have hidden away and been discreet but you can’t guarantee someone wouldn’t see you.

If you have no access to a loo, and you have to go, behind a bush is fine. I doubt the woman planned for it to happen, and a bit of wee on the soil is not the end of the world.

I agree that unreliable toilets make it more likely that this will happen, as people will expect them to be open.

A man was urinating against a bush 50m from my house at 7pm last week on the street, I did think about shaming him on Facebook. Weird thing is, he was 20m from an open pub, why not go in and use them (pretend you are going in)

I'm a dog walker. I always go to the loo before I leave the house but sometimes I get taken short and have had to go in the bushes many times.
I have perfected the art of doing it standing up but only when wearing a dress.
I've never been caught out but I have weed on more than one of my dogs on occasion :)

I wouldn't judge at all. Poor woman must have been desperate. No one does that for fun !

I’m pregnant and got caught short (literally was going to pee myself and it’s happened before and it hurt so bad) so had to go in a bush 😩 wasn’t one of my proudest moments but I don’t look pregnant so I would have probably been judged if someone had seen which makes me pretty sad.

Poor lady.

As someone who has spent my entire life all day hiking in the open countryside, I don't have a horror of weeing al fresco, either myself, or others. A public park is a bit different to the great outdoors however, but i can only imagine a person would have to be caught short and desperate, and therefore deserving of some sympathy and a blind eye, to wee in a park, so it would not bother me.

Come to think of it, I we once caught short after a longish drive, in a park and ride car park. No public loos, no way I could hold it in for the bus ride into a town I did not know, then find the nearest loos. I walked to the far end of the car park, onto the grass verge behind a parked car, and did what I had to. Would have been unseen if another car didn't decide to drive to the very back of what was a half empty car park to park, just as i was crouching. These things happen.

I've been that person behind a bush in the park. I can guarantee you, I was more traumatised than any witnesses!

I just don't think it's that big an issue and, as PP said, I'm sure the woman wasn't doing it for the fun of it. Accessible public toilets are a feminist issue.

I have a weak bladder. Even if I go
To the toilet before going anywhere it can sometimes catch me. I have had to walk
Home with urine leaking down. It’s distressing. So i wouldn’t judge if this woman
Had to go.