To wonder what, apart from the obvious, anyone would do in a toilet for 45 minutes?

[DrSeuss]

DH, daily, 45 minutes in loo, door locked, only toilet in house, no admittance during this time. I, meanwhile, do it all as fast as possible, frequently with an audience, tampons and all and don't lock the door when having very quick shower as someone else will always need the loo. DS is 6, DD is 1. In summary, he gets to lock himself away in peace with a book for three quarters of an hour daily, I get to have a shower with a six year old shouting POO!

I taught DS how to unlock WC from outside in case of an emergency to put paid to this practice

I don't understand it it. I imagine 45 mins in there would be:

1. Uncomfortable.
2. Stuffy. If a person has done a poo, why would they sit around in the smelly stuffy little room for almost an hour.
3. Boring. I can only imagine that your DH is taking the opportunity to err... entertain himself somehow.

Take the door off it's hinges. That will sort him out.

He has books and magazines, no, not that kind of reading material, Scientific American and scientific tomes. As I say, I'd love to have an excuse to lock myself away to read but the opportunity rarely presents itself. All my bathroom stuff is done at speed, with at east one child in tow!

Bin the books and mags and take the lock off the door.

Start spending the same amount of time in there and leave him with the kids ?

I seem to remember Bill Bryson relating a similar exchange with his wife so it's not just DH. Maybe I will develop an urgent need to lock the door and file my nails for a hour daily.

Just tell him when you have 1 toilet and small children you can't have 45 minutes locked away when you/the room is needed.

Its a boy thing. Get used to it. I also have all in sundry marching in (and throwing me out) when I am in the loo. I draw th line at anyone coming in when I am enthroned though.

Usually I get a stream of people coming in: 'where's my PE kit?', 'look at this youtube clip on the ipad!', 'the phones's ringing - it'll be for you' (phone gets passed), and sometimes 'want a cuppa or glass of wine?' when I'm in the bath. All family - have to point out!

Not just a boy thing - I revel in my ipoos! The only time I get a second without audience is on the toilet. I might finish a chapter of a book I desperately want, look stuff up, just take a few minutes for myself really. I'm not always even pooping at all.

Dh in the other hand takes his time to let it brew

Neither of us 'entertain' ourselves in there though!

I skulk in my bedroom. Must be in my second teenagedom!

I occasionally say I have a sore tum and lock myself in the bathroom.

I do my nails and toes, sometimes put a face mask on, give my brows a good tidy..

I swear, it's the only way I won't be disturbed

I've just been thinking exactly the same abut ds1 who is 11 and seems to be developing a male marathon pooing habit. I started shouting in after about 30 minutes today

Chap at our work does it as well. In the disabled loo in the lobby.

According to male colleagues there's not enough cubicles in the general loos to acommodate the post-lunch poo cohort.

It is a form of escape, my DH has done it for years!

While I don't do this, I have never ever allowed a child in a toilet while I was using it - they were always left outside a locked door and if they cried for a minute or two tough. They lived.

When I was growing up DF, DB and I were all locked in the bathroom reading on the loo for ages. My poor DM, never got a chance for a minute to herself.

Now I know how she feels. I'm fortunate enough to have DP out at work and DD in bed on an evening, but I then get hounded in the loo by several large dogs vying for the closest floor space to me, and one small cat who smugly steps over the said dogs and settles on my lap/book.

I'm now very quick

My OH does this upon returning home from work each day. There is a growing pile of discarded books on the landing outside that have been read in there.

One the plus side, our loo and bathroom are next to each other, but separate so someone can still be getting ready in the morning while someone reads goes to the loo in peace next door.
On the negative, it is the only toilet we have.

Which has lead to awkward, emergency pooing in a tesco carrier in the garage in a moment I don't care to relive when he was ensconsed in the throne room once.

Do you only have one toilet in your house? If so, you need to get one of the kids (presume the 6yo) to give him 3 minutes, then stand outside the door yelling "DAAAAADDYYYY! I need a POOOOO!" on a loop. If he doesn't emerge within 30 seconds, get the child to start banging on the door, possibly escalating to kicking, whilst shouting with increasing urgency.

When he does come out, child can wander in nonchalantly, briefly glance at the toilet and then decide they don't need to go after all.

This is invariably what happens in our house whenever I have the temerity to lock the bathroom door. It soon gets me out again.

My mother started announcing loudly and repeatedly whenever she was going for a poo in the vain hope that we would ask her all necessary questions before she went and not bother her while she was there. I'm now 33 and she's still doing it. I think my dad still discovers that he needs something vital only she can find every time she's in there...

I have the same problem with bathroom privacy as other posters. If I am in the bath, a stream of questioners will come in with things to ask. If I am on the loo, the dogs will snarl at each other to settle which one gets to lean on my legs while I am on the loo.

Once I was in the bath and a child came in to show me a dance routine.

My brother does this. He has thick book novels in their bathroom (a new one everytime I go). It's a wonder he doesn't get piles sitting on the toilet that long - and it's in our genetics so he should get them!!

Incidently, what kind of person would not get off the toilet if they were in there reading and their partner was so desperate they were pooing in a plastic bag in the garage?!!

Poo Poo Moo Moo

@ LiegeAndLief

He;ll give himself piles sitting there so long