Grandson allowed to pee in woods next to park

[Tinarose21]

I know this subject has came up before but it’s an obvious a subject of contention. Yesterday was at a local park with my daughter & grandson who is just five, pee up a tree blatantly in a spinney next to a park. Normally this wouldn’t bother me but he turned facing us and said watch don’t walk in the train! He seemed quite proud about it, I was quite shocked aswell as my eleven year old daughter who was stood there with me! Also only a five min walk to the toilets , she did say he’s always asking to go but just seemed like the easy option with the toilet so close. My older daughter also lets him pee in their back garden, something I only have let happen with my boys in emergencies the same as when we’ve been out! I know he’s young now just seems disrespectful of his surroundings/nature and I guess not teaching him well for his adult life! I felt I had to say something afterwards but my older daughter just brushed it off saying it’s something boys do! 😬

@Tinarose21 nature deserves respect is possibly the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen on mumsnet. Did you go round chasing the dogs and cats that all had a wee on nature too?

If they were all lining up peeing even the dogs probably would avoid it!

I think it's fine if a) there are no toilets in the park (or they're occupied / too far to make it in time and the child is desperate) and b) the child is discreet (away from the path, behind a tree or against the hedge etc.).

Weeing in the garden is disgusting and unnecessary (unless there's an emergency situation where the household toilet is unavailable).

It sounds like lazy parenting to be honest as your daughter just can't be bothered to accompany her child to the toilets in the park.

I helped out on a school trip recently (reception age) and one little boy pulled down his pants / trousers without warning and weed on the grass in front of the tiger enclosure whilst the class were watching feeding time. To the best of my knowledge, the child was NT and just in the habit of weeing where he liked when outside because he was allowed to do it when out with his family.

Wee in the garden at home, et no!! We in a park if toilet nearby no, use the toilet, no toilet and a emergency, fine.

I wee outside at twice a week and see men weeing against trees all the time. I do do a hobby where there aren’t toilets so it’s unavoidable but we all have the same bodily functions so I don’t think bringing kids up to be ashamed of them is a good thing.

If there’s a toilet then use it, if there isn’t then find a bush!

Emergency bush wee when there are no toilets, fine. Peeing in the garden or outside when there's a toilet right there? Def not normal

I agree!
Not sure re the lazy part think just got into bad habits plus he seems to want to go quite regularly!

I think at his age it's fine. Dogs wee on trees all the time and no one is up in arms about it. I'd say 5 was probably the upper limit of acceptability though, but he should be taught to do it discreetly if he is caught short, not draw attention to himself.

Not necessarily.

I witnessed a grown man doing this yesterday. He was facing the bushes, but it was on a busy roundabout and obvious what he was doing.

But what was worse was that there was a small boy with him (about 4 or 5) who was standing on the kerb on the edge of the busy roundabout. So he was watching his adult wee in a bush, while balancing precariously next to rushing traffic.

If caught short fine.

In the back garden - completely gross.

I saw a mum let her son squat and do a poo next to the swing instead of by the trees next to the park.

.... What was even worse was that another parent was pushing their child on the other swing at the time.

How does the dogs do it counter work 🤔 dogs don’t tend to have the mental or physical ability to use a toilet designed for humans who have the ability to use them.

A dog does so I’ll do it, might be an argument a 3 year old would use who lacks basic understanding.

Telling you all to watch and making it obvious is a much bigger issue to me than the actual weeing

Actually not only is it gross but urinating in public is an offence and can be treated as such by the police. So those who 'aren't bothered' need to get a grip.

I hate this - my nephew is allowed to piss all over the place (SIL calls it a bush wee) but niece never does it and she's younger. So a bloody double standard where the female is taught it's unacceptable and the male can do as he pleases.

Also went to the cinema once with a friend who let her son piss in an empty drinks can and left it there. Revolting.

I don't have a problem with a wild wee, both my son and daughter have needed to do them on occasion when there was no other option.

I don't think it's a double standard for boys and girls, let face it out anatomies are totally different. A wild wee with my daughter would mean stripping off her bottom half including shoes or everything would get soaked! Much simpler with a penis, rather than a double standard it's basic biology!

But if there are toilets nearby use them!!

Fine for a toddler who genuinely can't hold it. Performance element not good. My 11 year old asked if he could pee against a tree in the park because he couldn't be bothered to walk the 200m to a toilet and was firmly told no.

Very strange

I have daughters and if there are no toilets we hide behind a far tree.

A couple of months ago a parent was letting their young boy (3yo?) pee through the fence of the playground 😣 a playground surrounded by a park full of trees! A couple of those trees were my kids have peed and changed clothes 🤷🏻‍♀️ kids need to be taught that somethings are private and are to be done in the most possible secrecy

Honestly I don’t think it’s double standards. Boys genuinely seem to need the toilet more and cannot hold it in well, my son would struggle at five to make it the five minutes to the toilet. He seemed to need all of a sudden and then the need was urgent straight away.

He should be taught to find a discreet spot though and not wave his wee around. That is odd.

In an emergency fine, but as a standard thing? Well that's basically why adult men think it's OK to turn doorways/alleys into stinking urinals.

Unless they have been unexpectedly caught short with absolutely no toilets around a school aged child being taught it is acceptable to pee anywhere, and openly, is lazy parenting. Peeing in the garden is gross. He wants to go regularly outdoors because it has been allowed to become a game.

Now THAT is not acceptable 😑

This annoys me SO MUCH! Boys are never taught to hold it in - they just get to go behind bushes etc. Girls have to hold it in for ages until we find a loo. Boys turn in to men who find it quite ok to wee in public. Even if they're being discrete it's revolting. Mums - TRAIN YOUR SONS!

Really gross and lazy parenting.

Those who are saying it is fine and that boys should be able to go wherever they want even if there are toilets nearby - what message do you think that sends about respect for others versus their own entitlement?

And aside from anything else - what about washing their hands!