Mom Sparks Debate After Refusing To Let Her Son, 7, Use Men's Restroom Alone

After disclosing that she prohibits her seven-year-old kid from using public restrooms for men by himself, a mother sparked controversy.

Everyone has various ideas about how a child should be raised, but actually, everyone is just taking each day as it comes, making parenting a thankless task.

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The protection of children is something that all parents can agree on, but how this is applied in day-to-day living differs from family to family.

According to one mother, she won't let her seven-year-old kid use a public restroom alone in case "someone dodgy" comes up.

The British mother wrote the following in a Mumsnet post: "When we're out and my boy needs the toilet, I make him come into the Ladies with me. Problem is, he's starting to complain about it and wants to go in the Gents on his own.”

"I have let him do this in one particular place where there's never anyone about, so I knew he wouldn't encounter anyone at the urinals. I'm always honest with him but I don't quite know how to explain why I'm not letting him do this anywhere else, like at the swimming pool/gym toilets.”

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"He knows about the Pants rules and personal space and consent but I don't exactly want to spell out what I'm worried about. What do you tell your kids?"

The worried mother clarified her position further by adding: "He has just turned 7. Obviously, he's perfectly able to use a toilet himself, but the idea of him seeing grown men using urinals, or - even if it's a small chance - someone dodgy approaching him, worries me.”

She continued: "We all know there are flashers and worse about, I saw them when I was a kid and so did most women I know. At some point he just won't agree to go in the ladies, hopefully, by then he'll be ready to handle any bad situations."

Viewers responded to the post in a variety of ways, with some acknowledging the mother's concerns. Someone remarked: "I think 8 is probably the oldest I’d let mine in the Ladies but I do remember how scary it was to start letting him!"

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Others thought the mother was being overly cautious and that her son was too old to be exploring the women's restrooms with him.

A viewer commented: "You’re going to have to get comfortable with it sooner than later. He won’t be able to go into the ladies for that much longer."

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In the comments, there were some sincere recommendations, as one person mentioned: "Let him go to the gents and you stand outside. Tell him to scream if somebody stops him from leaving. Otherwise, continue with your stranger danger teachings. He's got to learn to go by himself at some point."

Credit: Mumsnet

Another said: "I don't think most men's toilets are full of predators who hang out there all day waiting to pounce on a kid" and added: "There is too much paranoia around these days. In some people's heads."

Some others expressed sympathy for the worried mother and wrote: "My anxieties about public loos with my just 9-year-old when he goes in alone are often about losing him - I'm thinking of the busy motorway service stations we stop at pretty often."

"I've let him go alone there once with strict instructions of where to meet me (I and my daughter had to use the loo as well). He took ages and I got in such a panic, I was imagining someone abducting him, it was so busy anyone could be lost in a crowd, just horrible..."

"Most public loos are fine I think and he uses them alone no problem, but I really wish they'd have more family loos in busy/big places."