To insist my 5 yr old ds uses toilets in Halfords, when they say 'NO' due to insurance reasons?

[DrNortherner]

In Halfords last night at 5.30pm. Dh was spending £400 on a new bike. Ds needs loo.

Spotty teenage staff say no, not insured blah blah blah.

I say OK, lets go outside. Ds says no I need a poo.

Staff say use pub next door. Ds getting more and more desperate. Poo is coming.

I say 'Let him use your toilet now or dh will not buy bike' (dh looks aghast)

I demand manager.

We get escorted to toilet, but only a one off.

What do you think?

So if dh wants to go somewhere that make take a while, I should say no because ds may need a poo and there may not be a toilet?!

If I needed a poo I could hold it in, I am an adult. DS is 5.

Franny, I wasn't being rude to the assistants, I was trying to appeal to thier better nature. Because I didn't know if teh pub would be open or even if they would let ds use their loo. Why would they, we were not their customers?

The alternative was letting my son shit in the car park. I had no baby wipes and no plastic bags.

What you did was very reasonable.

Better?

My Mum has a friend who really cannot hold it for long. They were in a shopping centre once, the loos were closed for repair, they rushed somewhere else where they knew there were loos, but they were closed for cleaning, so dashed off somewhere else. Shop no longer had a loo. My Mum's friend pleaded with the shop assistant to use the staff loo as she couldn't hold it any longer. Shop assistant refused as against company policy. My Mum's friend then just said "Well, I'm very sorry, but..." and just peed all over the floor.

i find it quite strange expecting to be able to use a staff toilet

i would have just gone to the pub

or driven to one while dh stayed in the store or gone back another day

MrsSchadenfreude
at your mums friend.

MARGOsBeenPlayingWithMyNooNoo
In the news about toddler falling out of the window

I Kinda see both POV but I think this insurance thing is out of control.

For instance, I used to teach first aid to st johns cadets. I have kept myself update but as my official qual. is expired (cant make evenings- Dh work) I am not insured if I administer first aid. I have been advised if needed that I shouldnt admit my training. Sorry but eff that! . I'm not having someone's heart attack on my conscience if I can help, Dh and I discussed and we'd rather take the chance and be sued.

Not in any way comparable, though another example of 'the world gone mad' .

A colleague was asked to leave our building by the facilities staff when she brought her daughter in during her maternity leave to say hello. They claimed insurance reasons too. Unsurprisingly she didn't come back. I also had issues with BA while travelling pregnant for work - they refused to lift my baggage too. Still wasn't forced to sit beside a corpse in first class like that poor guy in the press a couple of weeks ago.

That happened to me trippleshot. When I had DS I took him into the office to be admired, as is expected. When I had DD I was not allowed to take her past reception. So all my colleagues ended up coming down in shifts.

I do think that a 5yo can usually be expected to hold it TBH. My 2yo can.

Liability culture is crazy, but I do think it's used as an excuse to cover poor customer service.

Well done to those of you with kids who can hold in a poo. Mine can't.

I must train him to poo first thing in the morning, at home only, thus aleviating any future problems of this kind.

No they don't poo first thing in the morning or necessarily at home, but they wait until they can go to a toilet. I am just a bit surprised that you were having to do this with a school age child, rather than a just potty trained one. In which case, presumably you would have had the potty in the car.

DrNortherner- you are very experienced with mn and I find you unique in that you ignore others views and experiences uless they are directed to you on your own thread.

There are some comments on here which you have just skipped like the news item and trippleshots experience.

FWIW trippleshots I think the BA staff should have offered helped if you were with bump. Like the poor customer service bit! You have to laugh.

You are quick to defend yourself as if the world is against you and your ds & dh. The world is not like, but things happen.

Far worse things happen.

I hope I can offer some valid advice oneday which you do not find offensive if it is slightly out of your own view on life.

oh fgs

is this still running on?

where is my pen?

with double knots on each end

you are quite rude

oliveoil ?
are you talking to me?

want to start another thread?

yes

you are being very prickly towards Northerner and I have no idea why tbh

she is taking stuff on board but you keep ranting on

Wotzsaname, blimey, didn't realise my posts have been physco analysed by you all this time.

And if you find me unique on MN, then I'll take that as a compliment.

Unique? Bugger off (and reduce that ego Northerner!) I can think of quite a few M-netters who completely ignore any comments even on their own thread! (Anyone trried having a decent discussion with Xenia??).

FWIW my 7.5 year old can't hold it in. He's Sn but that's irrelevent, as no toilet = no toilet. And therefore big problems. Loads of 5 year olds (esp. boys) aren't particualrl;y aware until its too late

FFS Peachy.

My tongue was firmly in my cheek, as a comeback to some rather rude remarks made about me.

Can't believe a thread about a 5 yr old needing a poo has resulted to this.

I am wearing my hard tin hat today

you sound like Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver

you talkin to me? [mad glare]

have you a shaved head and a knife strapped to your leg?

I'd have used it as an excuse to go and drink a pint whilst the DH shopped for a bike.

BORING.

I'd rather drink.

yea and I know where you all live [mad glare]