When do you start letting your boys go in MENS restrooms alone?

[1GirlTwinBoys]

My twin boys are 7 (8 in May) and I'm still not comfortable allowing them to go without DH. I make them go with me and DD, but I know they're starting to feel uncomfortable in the ladies restrooms. This is such a hard thing for me to decide. I'm always wondering if there is some kind of weirdo in the restroom that might do something or say something inappropriate.

[jennsmile]

My 9 & 6 are buddies for men's room. It works for me, though I do love the family bathrooms.

[laundrycrisis]

I started letting DS1 go into some men's rooms alone at 7, depending on the setting, and me waiting right outside the door.

[swellmomma]

Mostly age 6 BUT I when ds8 first got hurt this summer I brought him in with me. He has also been known (as has my 13 yr old) to walk into the men's and turn around and walk right back and ask to go with me because someone in the men's gave them a bad vibe. I want them to always follow their instincts so I brought them in with me. WHen they first started going to the men's room alone I would stand right outside the door and hold it open a crack and talk to them the whole time. Twice I had to help one of them and would shout into the room "cover your bits Mother coming in" and go in to help my son. One time there was no one else in there, and once was a gentleman in their that was chuckling about it. As they got more confident I would not talk through the door but would still wait outside of it. Now they go on their own and we set a meeting place outside the bathrooms (usually I am taking dd 4 or going myself in the ladies). I also let dd 12 go on her own at around age 6 if I was busy supervising the boys. And now at 12 she often takes dd 4. Change rooms are a different story. They all still use a family changing room at the pool. There is no privacy in the regular (the girls is 1 big room and the boys is 1 big room) none of my kids want to change in front of others, so even at 12 and 13 they go with me into the family change rooms.

[rhreinke]

:bigear: I'm interested in what others think as well.

[mytwomonkeys]

my son will be 8 in late march & he still goes with me to the ladies room. i'm just not comfortable having him go alone, especially in bathrooms with multiple stalls. i would let him go into a single stall though where i could wait right by the door.

[DianeW88]

Six or seven.

[Mrs Mungo]

Depends upon the circumstances.

[Excelsior! Academy]

If the bathroom is clear I let nephews 5 and 7 go alone. If not, they wait it out or come with me. I tell them if anyone comes in to ignore them. If they touch you scream. Nephew 7 came out one time and loudly exclaimed that a man walked in while they were in there, but he just came in to go potty and wash his hands, he didn't touch them or anything. I about died. The man in question definitely heard.

[JennyD]

My 6yo started going in by himself this year. He gets a little nervous about it but I stand right outside, and depending on the place sometimes I let the almost 4yo go in with him too, which makes them both very happy (and makes it a lot easier for me to hear them in there, too :001_smile:)

 

Changing rooms have been a bit more of a project, since there's a lot to manage, and the almost 4yo definitely still needs my help so the 6yo has to go in alone. But after much practice, he is just starting to be able to manage the boys' locker room on his own at the JCC pool. I'm still reluctant to let him use the men's locker room at the university solo, though -- it's just a different environment -- which means that we can't really swim there right now.

 

With twin 7yos, though, I wouldn't even think twice. It seems to me to be one of the great conveniences of having twins, in fact!

[sparrow]

Depends upon the circumstances.

 

 

:iagree:

 

And if you have two, going in together, that definitely makes things easier.

[zaichiki]

Depends upon the circumstances.

:iagree:

I think my ds was 10 before I started letting him go into the bathroom alone in crowded areas. In some places I will let my 6 y.o. go alone, but he usually goes with his older brother (who keeps a close, maybe too-close, eye on him). There are a few places where I STILL check on my 12 y.o. (head in the bathroom - "Hey, N, how're you doing in there, are you STILL washing your hands LOL") -- not b/c he would have trouble, but to make it clear to anyone in there that someone is paying attention.

[luvnlattes]

I think it was about age 8 with me waiting outside the door. I remember a couple of times being unsure and telling them that if there was someone else already in the bathroom to just come right back out.

 

I usually sent 2 of mine in together which you could do since you have twins.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Around 8 but only if I was outside the door. There have been a couple times DS went with me because the boys room was so YUCKY... that's another thread entirely. I'd say keep them with you as long as you need to and they aren't throwing a fit.

[Starr]

Depends upon the circumstances.

 

:iagree: Not all places are the same. You have the bonus of them being together. I always stood at the door and hollered in to my slow fellow.

[WeeBeaks]

Around 8 I think for the oldest. Now I send them together at 9 and 6 but don't usually send the youngest in alone unless it is a very family-friend, uncrowded place where I can watch the doors.

[jhschool]

Mine was 10 and I felt

very scared to let him in men's rooms.

There is NOTHING you can do if some

bad guy tries to do something to them.

But at 10 I was starting to get comments

from ladies "He needs to go over there"

and pointing to the men's room. I realized

I couldn't make ladies uncomfortable so

I started having him go in the men's.

It is VERY hard for me.

Usually I stood right outside the door, listening.

If he takes too long, I open the door a crack

and yell, "Are you OK, honey?" Then whoever

is in there with him knows there is an adult

waiting and they'd better not try anything. I

always get an embarrassed "Yes" from him so

all has been well thank God.

Once a guy came out saying, "Yes, I'm OK, dear,"

so it's embarrassing but what else can I do?

There are perverts everywhere--one of the Scoutmasters

in our troop was arrested last year for possessing you know what.

I believe 90% of people are good and true, but the other

10% are still using public restrooms!

[Splinter]

I'm in a bit of a different situation (single dad), but I started letting my oldest go into the restroom on his own when he was about 5. I find it awkward and creepy to hang out in there, and I'm not very mobile, so it's much easier if he goes alone. I suppose it did give me some comfort that I could go in if he was taking too long, and I have gone in when he didn't come out within 2 or 3 minutes. I usually send him along when one of my younger boys has to go, but both my 5 and 6 year olds have gone alone in smaller places.

 

As for sending my daughter into the ladies room alone, she was probably 3.5 or 4.

[Carpe]

Once a child turns 7 they must go into the correct washroom. Or rather all people need to use the correct washroom, and there is an exception for children 6 and under to go in with their parent. I thought it was a province-wide law but it must just be a city bylaw (swellmomma lives in the same province).

[NatashainDFW]

I started letting ds go alone at 6 but I stood outside and no "wall potty" unless his dad is with him. One time I asked another dad to check on him and he told me that mothers should not worry about embarrassing men and just stick their head in and check on their boys lol.

[courtney.byrum]

Around 6 I started letting him go alone IF I didn't need the restroom as well (or dd). He goes by himself and I wait outside, if I need to go then he comes with me. There are many times where they each go in one room and I wait outside these days :)

 

Now really busy places I would probably still have him come with me as he is very distractable and can take forever. He still goes in the women's room at swimming as I am not sure I'd ever see him again if he went to change in the men's room!

[jar7709]

I recently just started letting my 6yo (will be 7 in a couple weeks) go in alone, but circumstances can trump it. In a busy mall or at the YMCA, no, we wait for a family bathroom to become available. But at our local small library, or at the dance studio or something, no problem, everyone is more comfortable if he uses the men's room. I stay just outside the door within yelling distance though--my biggest issue is not his independence or his being in there without supervision in those locations, it's that he is small for his age and sometimes they make those entrance doors HEAVY and he has trouble opening them to leave! And that is why I stay near the door. :lol:

[swellmomma]

Once a child turns 7 they must go into the correct washroom. Or rather all people need to use the correct washroom, and there is an exception for children 6 and under to go in with their parent. I thought it was a province-wide law but it must just be a city bylaw (swellmomma lives in the same province).

 

I think it is province wide, but I could be wrong. Nobody had concerns of my bringing my very big 8 yr old boy into the women's washroom, BUT he was in wheelchair for months due to his broken leg. No woman would fault me for taking him in with me where I could help him. Of course I got asked often how he got hurt which would then result in getting extra help from them :D I don't know if there is an actual bylaw out here about it, I know when I lived in the city there was, and maybe it is the same in all the larger cities in this province, but I don't know. I try to follow the age 6-7 rule/law, but sometimes it is just safer to bring them with me and I have never had anyone say anything about it. Especially if they come out of the men's and say there is someone creepy in there and ask to use the ladies. No one has ever commented that it made them uncomfortable. Family changerooms/washrooms are a whole other thing. Hmm, now I am curious to find out if there is a bylaw for this region about it.

[Tess in the Burbs]

well, if I had two boys I would have done it sooner so they could be buddies together. But I used my judgement and sometimes I wasn't comfortable, other times I was, and he just turned 10 and he gets to go to mens rooms MOST of the time. If we are traveling though I reserve the right to make him go in the womens and he respects that. Something about gas stations along the highway that I just can't get comfortable about.

 

So we started around 8/9 in places I felt were ok. Like restaurants or a gas station I could stand outside the door. We had a bad Target experience once where I was ready to go in after him.....he was apparently letting others go before him...yes a line in the mens room, so he was in there well after others came and went. It freaked me out and it was awhile until he was allowed alone again. Target is still a with Daddy/or women's place.

 

Follow your gut. Some places don't ever phase me. Others instantly do and I go with my feeling and luckily he respects my randomness!

[Kathryn]

The only place he goes to a men's room without DH is swimming, and that because there are 4-5 other boys his age at the same time. So, I'm not sure when, but not yet. But, my answer would be different if he had a "bathroom buddy" to go with him.

[laundrycrisis]

Back to add....I see these comments about ladies being uncomfortable or laws. I don't care about any of that. I don't care who I make uncomfortable or what law I break if it is about my son's safety. If I feel the men's restroom in a particular place is unsafe and he needs to pee, I am taking him into the ladies. Also if he is in the men's and yells for me or I hear someone talking to him in a way that alarms me and he doesn't come right out when I call him, I am charging in there.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

I've just started letting him go by himself in the past 6months or so-and I'm still nervous about it....if he doesn't come out "soon enough" for me I'll go to the door and call him out LOL....

[Serenade]

Around 8, I started allowing my oldest son to take my youngest to the restroom. He rarely has to go himself, he has huge bladder capacity, but that was the approximate age he started taking my youngest, who was 5 at the time. This was only in what I would call "safe" locations -- like at Panera, or some place where it was easy for me to guard the door. My rule is that the boys always have to go together, even today. My youngest is now 9, and I still don't let him go by himself -- I always have my oldest take him in. He is small for his age; my oldest is tall for his age.

[KungFuPanda]

I think it is province wide, but I could be wrong. Nobody had concerns of my bringing my very big 8 yr old boy into the women's washroom, BUT he was in wheelchair for months due to his broken leg. No woman would fault me for taking him in with me where I could help him. Of course I got asked often how he got hurt which would then result in getting extra help from them :D I don't know if there is an actual bylaw out here about it, I know when I lived in the city there was, and maybe it is the same in all the larger cities in this province, but I don't know. I try to follow the age 6-7 rule/law, but sometimes it is just safer to bring them with me and I have never had anyone say anything about it. Especially if they come out of the men's and say there is someone creepy in there and ask to use the ladies. No one has ever commented that it made them uncomfortable. Family changerooms/washrooms are a whole other thing. Hmm, now I am curious to find out if there is a bylaw for this region about it.

 

My son is 11, but in a wheelchair. I have no other choice but to take him unless DH is with me because he needs the help. The lines for the few family rooms are often too long to wait. There was a brief period when he was 9 and still walking that he sometimes went into a men's room, but he was so slow that I ended up hovering at the door checking on him. It was nerve wracking. Generally, though, he preferred to use the ladies room because he didn't like the way the men's room smelled.

 

I used to be on a board that blew up over this issue now and then. Often some mother with no sons felt violated knowing that a little boy was a stall over from her daughter. It got almost as heated as our Duggar threads.

 

Speaking of public restrooms, I have a new pet peeve. We've only been using the wheelchair for about a year, but I now realize that when the mount the handicapped doors so that they open inward, it's often impossible to close the door when using the stall. If I can't close the door around a child's wheelchair then I doubt it would work with a bigger adult chair. These doors are just mounted wrong. They should all open outward.

[Jen in PA]

Depends upon the circumstances.

 

:iagree: DS is 6 and he goes into the men's room in smaller settings. In crowded places I still make him come with me.

[Canadianmumof5]

I think it was a year ago that I started letting DS10 go in but only if he takes DS5 with him (even if he doesn't need to go). But I stand at the men's room door with it cracked open a little and talk to them the whole time.

[Outdoorsy Type]

Last year I started letting my oldest (then 8) go in by himself, and my middle son was allowed to go with him shortly thereafter. I try to go places with one stall or family restrooms when possible.

[Heather in Neverland]

Depends upon the circumstances.

 

:iagree: there are places I let my 7yo go by himself. No problem. But there are others that I would never dream of letting him go in alone.

[jujsky]

My son is 8, and I think I started letting him go in alone when he was a late 6, but I'd stand outside the door and wait for him. I also gave him strict instructions not to talk to anyone. Stranger-danger and good touch/bad touch are conversations that were not new to him. When he was 7-7 1/2, I started letting him go by himself if I could see the bathroom door from where we were sitting.

[simka2]

My twins are rather small in stature. I do not think I let them go TOGETHER until they were around 8yrs old. There is an exception, if we were at Walmart and I knew they needed to use it, as I checked out I would be keeping an eye on the men's restroom to take note of who was going in and out. Then we would walk up and they would go in while I waited right outside. While this was happening I could let older dd go into the women's with younger ds.

They are now almost 10 and I do let them go alone when we are in enclosed places like restaurants, but I still make them go together in places like Walmart and Target.

[nukeswife]

my gosh I must be a weirdo parent. I've let my sons go in alone since they were each 5. I know you see reports from time to time about crazy things that can happen in public places but from all I've heard your children are more likely to be abducted/molested by a friend or family member they would know and trust than be a total stranger. I just don't worry about those types of things. Like I said I guess I'm a weirdo.

[angela in ohio]

My 9 yo comes into the ladies room with me if I need him to. It's usually not an issue because I know where the family or single restrooms are, and we use those, or dh is with us. It's maybe once a month (or less) that he has to come in with me. I haven't thought about when I'll let him go alone; I've just gotten better at finding single bathrooms.

 

But I'm a bit scarred because the local arcade/entertainment place (which we have been to a few times) had an 8 yo boy r@ped in the bathroom by an older teen a few years ago. I think that really impacted people's attitudes locally, too, because I have never had any problems from other ladies.

 

If I had two boys, it would be a totally different situation.

[georgialee]

I tend to not take my boys with me to grocery stores, so if we're out and they need to use the restroom it's usually somewhere small. In those cases I started letting DS1 go in by himself at around 5... I'd wait by the door for him.

 

Now my boys are 6 and 4 and I let them go into a mens restroom together pretty much wherever we are as long as i'm waiting by the door for them.

[Carpe]

I think it is province wide, but I could be wrong. Nobody had concerns of my bringing my very big 8 yr old boy into the women's washroom, BUT he was in wheelchair for months due to his broken leg. No woman would fault me for taking him in with me where I could help him. Of course I got asked often how he got hurt which would then result in getting extra help from them :D I don't know if there is an actual bylaw out here about it, I know when I lived in the city there was, and maybe it is the same in all the larger cities in this province, but I don't know. I try to follow the age 6-7 rule/law, but sometimes it is just safer to bring them with me and I have never had anyone say anything about it. Especially if they come out of the men's and say there is someone creepy in there and ask to use the ladies. No one has ever commented that it made them uncomfortable. Family changerooms/washrooms are a whole other thing. Hmm, now I am curious to find out if there is a bylaw for this region about it.

Unfortunately that isn't true in my city. There was a 12 year old blind boy charged. The doors are side by side and he went in the wrong one, tapped around looking for the urinals, couldn't find them and exited to reread the door (signs must have braille, but it doesn't have to be quality braille, sometimes the wo of women is spaced out from the men part) on the way out he bumped into a woman. She flipped out about him having been in the EMPTY women's washrooms. Oh yes, we have jerks here.

 

Back to add....I see these comments about ladies being uncomfortable or laws. I don't care about any of that. I don't care who I make uncomfortable or what law I break if it is about my son's safety. If I feel the men's restroom in a particular place is unsafe and he needs to pee, I am taking him into the ladies. Also if he is in the men's and yells for me or I hear someone talking to him in a way that alarms me and he doesn't come right out when I call him, I am charging in there.

 

I cannot imagine living somewhere that the people are that unsafe. I wish everyone had the option of living somewhere safe. It's really tragic that some don't.

 

If it were an issue of safety, the punishment for letting him pee on the side of the building is less than for taking him into the women's room. So that's what we would do.

 

People here are a little ridiculous though. I took my (granted very large) toddler into the women's room while DH waited outside with our older son. The only reason for that arrangement is that we were the two who had to go. lol. anyway. Someone complained about him. He's TWO. Yes I had to prove his age to a cranky security guard and if he was too old the police would have been called and I would have been charged. But he's two and well under the limit.

 

Speaking of public restrooms, I have a new pet peeve. We've only been using the wheelchair for about a year, but I now realize that when the mount the handicapped doors so that they open inward, it's often impossible to close the door when using the stall. If I can't close the door around a child's wheelchair then I doubt it would work with a bigger adult chair. These doors are just mounted wrong. They should all open outward.

 

This has always bothered me. I've wondered how people in wheelchairs could possibly manage. Apparently they can't. But I think all the stall doors should open outward. There are tiny stalls in some places and you practically have to stand on the toilet to close the door.

 

my gosh I must be a weirdo parent. I've let my sons go in alone since they were each 5. I know you see reports from time to time about crazy things that can happen in public places but from all I've heard your children are more likely to be abducted/molested by a friend or family member they would know and trust than be a total stranger. I just don't worry about those types of things. Like I said I guess I'm a weirdo.

 

I've never heard of a child being attacked by a stranger in a washroom in my city. And I'm not avoiding the news either. I am, however, completely freaked out by one of my aunts' husband. He's so creepy that I'm not comfortable alone with him, let alone the kids.

[Georgiana Daniels]

What about letting girls go alone into a public restroom when they are out with their fathers?

 

I don't like my hubby to take the kidlets to the movies alone because he can't help them, and I'm one of those who believes there's a creeper behind every door. Am I nuts to ask hubby not to take kids to movies and such when I am not there because he can't help them in the restroom? (kids are 6 and 7)

[LeslieAnneLevine]

my gosh I must be a weirdo parent. I've let my sons go in alone since they were each 5. I know you see reports from time to time about crazy things that can happen in public places but from all I've heard your children are more likely to be abducted/molested by a friend or family member they would know and trust than be a total stranger. I just don't worry about those types of things. Like I said I guess I'm a weirdo.

 

It seemed like the most common answer on this thread was age 6, so I'm not sure you're such a weirdo ;)

 

To answer the OP's question, it was when my son was around 6, but there were still some places (like the airport or train station) when I felt better having him with me and he was OK with that for awhile, but then he got to a point where he didn't want to come into a women's bathroom no matter where we were.

 

There is also the issue of when you need to go and your son doesn't want to go in with you. That can be tough sometimes, but we were so often out at places just the two of us that we just had to work it out.

 

While I can't say I've never worried about it, I once saw a woman in a bathroom at JCPenney make her son who looked to be at least 10, maybe a bit older, stand right outside the stall she was using with his foot where she could see it. :001_huh:

[Impish]

I'm in the same province as swellmomma and Carpe, and was completely unaware of any laws about this issue.

 

Interesting.

 

Tazzie will be 7 next month, and I still bring him with me. Since it never fails that he and Princess both need to use the facilities at the same time, I cannot stand outside the door and monitor anything.

 

It's not just 'in the bathroom' that concerns me, it's him standing alone outside the bathrooms, waiting for us.

 

I just don't consider an unattended child safe at a mall. I don't.

[swellmomma]

Unfortunately that isn't true in my city. There was a 12 year old blind boy charged. The doors are side by side and he went in the wrong one, tapped around looking for the urinals, couldn't find them and exited to reread the door (signs must have braille, but it doesn't have to be quality braille, sometimes the wo of women is spaced out from the men part) on the way out he bumped into a woman. She flipped out about him having been in the EMPTY women's washrooms. Oh yes, we have jerks here.

 

 

I know there are jerks everywhere. I was speaking to my experiences with it this summer. Ds was with me, in a cast to his groin unable to go by himself as I had to push his wheel chair and then lift him off and on onto a toilet etc. Even once he was in a below the knee cast he was still in a wheelchair. I never sent him on his own to the ladies room, I was always with him as I was pushing his wheelchair and lifting him etc. My experience was that no one said a word beyond offers to help after asking how he got hurt. Whether that is because they could see I had no choice, that they felt sympathy for him or because they saw that doing otherwise would bring out momma bear I don't know. But my experience for those months was that no one cared that I brought him in the ladies bathroom. That was not just in our town and the next one over, but in Edmonton, LLoyd, Veg and Bonnyville too it seemed that no one had a problem with me bringing him in. IF he had been going in on his own, Or if he had been older, or less injured(like on crutches instead of a wheelchair), or maybe even if his mode of injury had been less dramatic perhaps someone would have said something about him needing to go to the men's but I never experienced that. Which is a good thing, in the beginning I was still reeling from it all and likely would have ripped the face off of anyone who tried to tell me I couldn't take him in with me. 6 months later I have calmed down and he has been back to using the men's still in a cast but no longer a wheelchair. I would not bring him in with me now unless it was a hinky situation or like at an airport or something.

[Carpe]

I dunno, that sounds like something in a tabloid. If that happened I would hope in the end the charges would be dropped for an honest mistake. And based on what you are saying here he wasn't with someone else. I would think it odd to see an older boy alone in the woman's room, but not so much an older boy with his mother in a woman's room.

 

I was working at the store where it happened and was on shift when it happened. Ironically the boy was with his father, who was only about 15 feet away looking at a product. I do not know what happened in the end. I hope the charges were dropped, but the boy was removed from the store in handcuffs.

 

Everyone was freaking out because there was "a man in the women's washroom." The management was worried that the woman was going to sue. And then it turns out he was just a kid and in there accidentally.

 

It's not even my best story from that job. A man brought in his dog, it was a hardware store. His dog is a tiny spoiled looking shi tzu. He decides that the dog cannot walk on the floor because their might be splinters or nails or something else to damage its paws. So he puts the dog into a cart. Well the mesh of a shopping cart is too wide for the dogs tiny paws (It must have been a puppy for how little it was) and they keep falling through. The mans solution is to put down a canvas drop cloth. But he doesn't bother to open the plastic package and unfold it, so it's just this 10x14 inch pad in the corner. No problem. He's shopping and goes near the drywall section just as someone drops a bag of drywall mud (well it's powder that you mix into drywall mud) and the powder goes flying. Man with dog runs to the other side of the store. The dog starts wheezing and the man freaks out that his dog has been damaged by the dust. He comes to customer service and demands to see the manager and is yelling about lawsuits. Dog coughs gags and sputters and suddenly vomits. What did he throw up (other than half digested kibble)? a piece of plastic from the package from the drop cloth! The dog was chewing the corner of the package and bit some off. The manager gave the man the drop cloth (in a torn package and covered in dog vomit) and the man promised not to sue. Weirdest working day of my life.

[Mom-ninja.]

A few years ago there was a news story about what happened an hour from where I live. A 12 yr boy went into a men's bathroom while his aunt waited right outside the door. One man was in the bathroom. He killed the boy. I won't say how. The man walked out of the bathroom, smiled and said hello to the aunt, and kept walking. After a few more minutes she called the boy, opened the door, and saw him.

 

So, my almost 11 yr old still does not go to the men's room by himself. At co-op, the boys go to the bathroom together, but that's after I check to make sure no grown men are in there.

 

I make the boys go to the bathroom before we leave the house. They rarely need to go while we are out.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

A few years ago there was a news story about what happened an hour from where I live. A 12 yr boy went into a men's bathroom while his aunt waited right outside the door. One man was in the bathroom. He killed the boy. I won't say how. The man walked out of the bathroom, smiled and said hello to the aunt, and kept walking. After a few more minutes she called the boy, opened the door, and saw him.

 

So, my almost 11 yr old still does not go to the men's room by himself. At co-op, the boys go to the bathroom together, but that's after I check to make sure no grown men are in there.

 

I make the boys go to the bathroom before we leave the house. They rarely need to go while we are out.

 

That sounds like Cecchi case which happened back in 1998. I believe the child was 9, not that the age really matters.

 

Not allowing a 10/11 yo boy to use a public restroom because of something that happened 13 years ago seems a bit extreme. Checking the co-op bathroom to make sure no men are present is even more extreme. If I was that concerned about those around my co-op, I probably wouldn't attend at all.

[JeneralMom]

I started letting them go in alone at 7 if 1) there was an open type doorway like in Costco and I could call out to them, or 2) we were in a restaurant and were close to the bathroom and I could see the doorway.

 

(I was very nervous the first time I did it and kept calling out to DS8. He didn't respond to me after a few times and I got freaked out. An older gentleman who was waiting for his wife didn't say anything to me, just went in, turned around and quietly said to me, "he's drying is hands and can't hear you. Everything is all right." I thought that was very kind.)

[QuirkyKapers]

Depends upon the circumstances.

 

 

 

:iagree: I let my son start going in the bathroom by himself when he was 8. He is small for his age, so I never had any issues. However, I usually look for a family restroom/single bathroom. Most of the places I go have one. The movie theater is one exception. However, we are usually with dh or friends.