To think that a teacher should not tell the children to go and have a wee in the churchyard?

[ThoughtsPlease]

After lunch the children were rehearsing a play in the church a two minute walk from the school. They did the whole play once, and DD who is 7 waited until they finished to say that she needed the loo. The teacher asked the other children, about 15 in total, if any also needed the loo, about 7 children said they did, and the teacher told them all to go outside in to the churchyard and find a bush to have a wee behind!

DD is not familiar with outdoor weeing, and the result was that she managed to wee on her pants, socks and most importantly to me as they are now in the bin all in her school shoes!

AIBU to think that a member of staff should have taken the children back to school to go to the loo, there were two members of staff in the church.

The kid who initially asked to go might've been sheer desperados, and there could have been an accident in the church. Imagine explaining that to the vicar.

I imagine it was a great laugh for them all trapsing behind the bushes, they'll remember that for years and smile. Honestly, a wee bit of wee isn't going to hurt, and after throwing the items in the washing machine they'll be fine.

Yanbu - i would be shocked that the teacher thinks its ok- not because your child wee d on herself but cos the whole thing is unacceptable. I also think it is very disrespectful to wee in a church yard. As another poster said it is one thing if one child is about to wet themselves but another if half the class need to go.

YABU IMO can you imagine one teacher marching 7 children back to school, waiting for them to wee/wash their hands walk back, they would miss the entire 2nd run through...

I cannot actually get my head round you binning a perfectly good pair of school shoes though! and

When my dd needs to go, she needs to go NOW (she has a disability that affects her bladder). She also uses a wheelchair some of the time. We taught her to wee outside for just such an occasion. It really isn't that big a deal. Oh, and she had regular accidents until about twelve, and still does now. Wee washes out, no smell, nothing. The only thing, and it's irrelavant here, is that eventually the sheets will start to rot!

I am a bit on the fence here. Having grown up in the country, and spent ages playing out on the hills, I had to do al fresco wees (and did wee in my wellies more than once ), so it is not something I think is utterly beyond the pale.

However, I do think that the school should have realised that at least one child was bound to need the loo during the rehearsal time, so should have made arrangements for this that didn't involve a bush in the churchyard. It would have made most sense for one teacher to walk them back to school whilst the other stayed in the church with the remaining children, as the school was so close.

I would also suggest that you retrieve the shoes from the bin and give them a good clean - bicarb etc, as already recommended - school shoes aren't cheap, and we are coming up to the summer holidays - if your dd is anything like my dc, she will grow out of her shoes over the summer, so if you buy new shoes now, you will need to buy another new pair in September. If you have another pair of shoes, then ignore me.

Maryz You really think that most 7-11 year olds could last from straight after lunch, when they will have had probably a big drink on a warm day, for 2 hours or so? I disagree.

It was my DD who asked to go first, she was not desperate desperate, she had sensibly waited until they had rehearsed once, before realising they were rehearsing again and so asked to go to the loo, as she felt she couldn't wait the length of the play again.

Try this:

The other day, whilst outside rehearsing a play, 7 children needed a wee. The teacher left the others to take them back to school. Is this unreasonable?

or

The other day, whilst outside rehearsing a play, 7 children needed a week. One teacher took them back to school, leaving the other teacher in charge of too many children. Is this unreasonable?

If you gotta go, you gotta go! I vividly remember peeing otuside our local Waitrose when I was about seven! The toilets were being fixed and I was desperate so my mum gave me some tissue and sent me behind a bush!

lasttango couldn't they have just gone in a bush or something...

I am not buying any more shoes now, she will wear some others for the rest of term.

She has had the shoes since last September anyway, they did still fit her but I would have bought her some new ones for September anyway. That is why I am not messing about with washing, soaking stuffing and whatever else.

Perhaps I wasn't clear but my question is AIBU to think that they should not have been told to wee in the churchyard, the school was close enough, not AIBU to throw the shoes in the bin!

LastTango sorry I don't really understand, 1 teacher cannot look after 7 or 8 children is that what you are saying?

And the majority of replies are saying YABU for both.

go on tell me to grow up again

I'd be giving the teachers a piece of my mind, not that I can spare it. Yes, they could have planned it better and even if I don't share the religion, I also find it disrespectful to urinate on someone's sacred space.

It's not the alfresco wee-ing that bothers me, it's the fact that it was done in a churchyard.

YABU

YANBU dd nearly 7 wouldn't have been able manage an outside wee by herself without getting in on her and would be mortified. However YABU to chuck her school shoes out !

Oh yes of course, if others disagree with me that children shouldn't be sent for a wee in churchyard when there are toilets 2 minutes away, then I must be a bit OCD?!

Grow up

If the church didn't have a loo the kids could use, then there should have been a 'comfort break', yes.

It used to hack me off when DD was denied being able to go to the loo at school when she needed to go, especially if she had a UTI or was on her period. I doubt a group of adults would want to be treated like this.

(But I did do a lot of bush weeing in my younger days in the summer holidays, and it is a useful skill!)

I don't think it's appropriate at all I wouldn't be bothered about the shoes, I would be very annoyed at my child being taught it was appropriate to urinate in public. Fair enough in an absolute emergency but otherwise - no. I wouldn't have liked it myself at 7 and I can see why the OP is annoyed as her DD must have been really uncomfortable for the afternoon.

YABU half the village had probably peed in our church yard, the lack of a loo is a well known complaint.

fuzzy - It's not the alfresco wee-ing that bothers me, it's the fact that it was done in a churchyard.

Thank you!

So everyone else here is cool with people's ancestors being slashed on then?

I find it incredibly disrespectful.

Would you piss on other religions' dead too, or is it just a churchyard that's fair game?

I doubt they were wearing on the graves

They were weeing behind a bush not in an open grave!

Weeing

On, in or near graves is immaterial, I think.

Where I come from, a churchyard is a sacred resting place for the dead.

I believe that should be respected, be it a tiny rural churchyard or the War Cemetaries worldwide.

I just don't think children (or dogs or anyone) should be encouraged to use them as a toilet.

When these kids grow up and travel, I hope they no longer piss in sacred places. Because I can think of rather a lot if countries where they'd be met with a very different reaction indeed.