He Peed On My Lawn!

[Melissa in Australia]

we have actively taught all our boys to wee outside at our rural property. it saves an awful lot of water in flushing and gets the lemon trees growing beautifully. they do however learn form a young age that what we do in a rural setting is not what we do in a residential setting. Having said that. I think all of my children,.. while being toilet trained have done a wee in not exactly the best place in a public area.

 

 my most embarrassing one was my oldest ds. He did a wee right at the top of a slide in a very busy playground. ( age 3). I moved away form him and pretended I wasn't related to him. :ohmy:

[MercyA]

All I can add is that I'm glad I don't have toddlers any more.   

 

And that I have a dog who will pee on concrete.  Or a pee pad. 

 

 

:laugh: :laugh:

 

We tried training him to use pee pads because it would be convenient for travel, but he was stubbornly opposed to the idea. At least (on grass) he would pee or poo on command. That's a skill all dogs should have in their repertoire, I think.  :)

[Guest]

This reminds me of when my boys were just a little older... maybe not quite 5 yo? And we went to the beach for the day. They needed to pee. I was like, pee in the ocean. They were like, what? No way! But we had driven - there were no bathrooms. To use one, we were going to have to get in the car or walk a really long way and ask to use one in a business. It seemed crazy. I was like, look, here's what you do. Go get in the water at the edge where you've been playing. Sit down. Pee. Get up. We went over it like ten times. Finally, they go down to the edge, drop pants, and pee into the ocean from the edge. Sigh.

I snapped a photo of my tiny son's glowing white fanny doing the same thing!

[Reefgazer]

FTR, I don't think a kid not being able to hold it is a crime; I was just stunned they made no effort to be discrete or excuse themselves. We have a bathroom I would have been happy to let him use if the mom had asked. I have never seen them in our neighborhood, but if it had been someone from the neighborhood we knew, I'm sure the mom would have asked to use the facilities.

[abba12]

we have actively taught all our boys to wee outside at our rural property. it saves an awful lot of water in flushing and gets the lemon trees growing beautifully. they do however learn form a young age that what we do in a rural setting is not what we do in a residential setting. Having said that. I think all of my children,.. while being toilet trained have done a wee in not exactly the best place in a public area.

 

 my most embarrassing one was my oldest ds. He did a wee right at the top of a slide in a very busy playground. ( age 3). I moved away form him and pretended I wasn't related to him. :ohmy:

 

Oh I'm glad I'm not the only one! I run a toddler playgroup from my house, and it's actively accepted among all the families that if we're outside the little ones can go pee outside, saves a lot of hassle and water. They're all little girls, FTR. One of them did it because she's used to doing it at home, and the mother, slightly embarrassed, explained. I said no problem, my girls do the same, a few others piped up and, there we have it. I remember seeing my dad and brother go outside when I was a kid. No big deal

 

But that's in their own backyard or a friends, and my friend was appropriately embarrassed when it first occurred. The parent of the child in this case should have at least said something. The act is no big deal, but presuming it's acceptable to do it on anyone's property without so much as a courtesy explanation isn't. 

[FO4UR]

I'm not shocked that a 3yo peed on your lawn.  I am a bit shocked that the mom thought this was OK.

 

 

Why not walk a few feet to a private place?  Why not at least stand as a privacy shade so you (and others???) couldn't see?  Was this in a path that others might walk upon?

 

 

 

I think the reason I have an issue with this is that the parent is supposed to be teaching healthy boundaries and respect. (We can chuckle at an innocent child...but the mother should know better.)  What does it teach the child to pee on some stranger's yard?  Maybe I'm overly sensitive on the topic, but I teach mine that a toilet means something...I don't allow farting at people as a joke b/c what does that really communicate? Peeing on someone's lawn communicates something when it comes from an adult who should know better. His mother should have known better.

[JustEm]

This is so much better than growing up around drunk college students. My siblings and I would regularly get our super soakers out and soak any drunk college student that wondered into our yard to pee. Many of them were so drunk they thought they were magically peeing on their own heads.

 

I see nothing wrong with a 3 year old peeing in a yard or the mom helping him

[J-rap]

I would think it was weird, but I'd get over it pretty quickly.  We lived in an apartment building once in Washington, DC, where a mother would let her young children pee in the lobby!  Now THAT was bad.  She was from a developing country and perhaps it was slightly more acceptable there?  I don't know.  We had a lot of crazy experiences though in that building, and that was probably the least crazy.

[kiwik]

ds8 has bowel and bladder issues and is only now able to wait longer than an average 3 year old.  The only time it was bad was when I told him to wee discretely on the road verge and he instead used the edge of the garden of a lady who was just walking out her gate.  If he had been three it may have been OK but he was a tall 6 year old.   Since then he has been more careful and now he can wait until we get somewhere a little more suitable.  

[bettyandbob]

I would think it was weird, but I'd get over it pretty quickly. We lived in an apartment building once in Washington, DC, where a mother would let her young children pee in the lobby! Now THAT was bad. She was from a developing country and perhaps it was slightly more acceptable there? I don't know. We had a lot of crazy experiences though in that building, and that was probably the least crazy.

I would like to know where in the world it is OK to pee in a lobby or any indoor, high traffic, public area. If someone does not, is that person going to clean it up? Is that person doing that and expecting someone else to clean it up? Does anyone think you just leave a puddle of pee on the floor in a public space? Besides being gross, it is a safety hazard. Honestly, I canpt believe this would be ok anywhere.

[J-rap]

 Honestly, I canpt believe this would be ok anywhere.

 

I can't either!

 

[MrsWeasley]

With a kid that age, the question probably wasn't whether or not the kid would pee on your property, but whether the kid would pee on your property and on his costume or just the grass. And I'm guessing mortified mom just wanted to run away. I'm not saying that she shouldn't have apologized, but I have a two year old who sometimes gives us all of five seconds warning that he has to pee: this totally seems like something that could have happened to us. 

[katilac]

The real question is, did they walk up for candy afterwards? 

[Bluegoat]

All I can add is that I'm glad I don't have toddlers any more.   

 

And that I have a dog who will pee on concrete.  Or a pee pad. 

 

 

:laugh: :laugh:

That could go wrong though - what about things that look like pee pads, for example?  One of our dogs will do her business pretty much anywhere.  Just last night, she took a dump before my dh could stop her in the middle of a cross-walk.  he wasn't impressed.

 

[Bluegoat]

I would think it was weird, but I'd get over it pretty quickly.  We lived in an apartment building once in Washington, DC, where a mother would let her young children pee in the lobby!  Now THAT was bad.  She was from a developing country and perhaps it was slightly more acceptable there?  I don't know.  We had a lot of crazy experiences though in that building, and that was probably the least crazy.

 

That sort of thing isn't unheard of in other places.  In many parts of the world people don't diaper kids at all, so they pretty much just go where they are, and they transition to communal pee areas as they are able.  But even then, they are often still pretty public by our standards.

[Pawz4me]

That could go wrong though - what about things that look like pee pads, for example?  One of our dogs will do her business pretty much anywhere.  Just last night, she took a dump before my dh could stop her in the middle of a cross-walk.  he wasn't impressed.

 

Well . . . he's four and thus far has never confused anything for a pee pad.  So I think we're safe on that. ;)

 

But yes, he will stop to take care of business in the middle of the street sometimes.  Thankfully our neighborhood streets are lightly traveled.  :lol:

[Bluegoat]

All this reminds me of when my sister went on vacation, and in the mall, where they allowed dogs, there were grassy spots for them just to do their business.

[Laura Corin]

I would like to know where in the world it is OK to pee in a lobby or any indoor, high traffic, public area. If someone does not, is that person going to clean it up? Is that person doing that and expecting someone else to clean it up? Does anyone think you just leave a puddle of pee on the floor in a public space? Besides being gross, it is a safety hazard. Honestly, I canpt believe this would be ok anywhere.

 

I've seen a child allowed to squat in a metro train in Beijing.  It was a long time ago though.  

 

When I lived in China more recently, children would squat at the side of the walkway (outside) but not in an indoor space.

[KarenC]

So I'm curious for all those who thinks is okay (at least somewhat) for a little boy to pee on the yard, what about if it was a little girl.  Would you still be feeling the same way, if she squated down and went right there?

 

 

Because I can't imagine letting any of my kids just pee where they are boy are girl.  We've always managed to get them to the toilet (or deal with the mess if we didn't make it) with boys or girls.  I've never in my life felt things were so desperate to just let them go wherever we happen to be.

No kidding.  I can't imagine anyone letting a 3 yo girl pee on someone's lawn.  But it's ok for a boy to pee wherever he wants?  What the heck?

[Tanaqui]

No kidding.  I can't imagine anyone letting a 3 yo girl pee on someone's lawn.  But it's ok for a boy to pee wherever he wants?  What the heck?

 

 

I know for darn sure that at least once in my childhood, my father hustled me into a driveway to pee. I was, like, six. There was NO WAY I was going to make it home in time, it was a minimum of a 15 minute walk from our location to our apartment. I didn't "want" to pee there, but I was going to go on the sidewalk one way or another. The only question was whether or not I wet my pants in the process.

 

It was right after school. I don't think anybody was even home on that block, or he might have asked if I could use their bathroom instead.

 

I've never had to do that, but I have had the kids wet their pants in extremely awkward places - while inside the seat of a shopping cart in the grocery store, while on top of the platform to the slide (just missing a kid sitting underneath...), and once we nearly had an incident on a plane because of turbulence. I think we had to hand the kid to a flight attendant and she took her to the bathroom for us, something which made nobody happy. Oh, and there was that blow-out poop all over the sidewalk at Michael's when the kiddo was 3, which we couldn't even scoop up because... well, I don't want to dwell on it. I've also blatantly cut in line to use public toilets when the kids were under 5, and absolutely I've gone into the men's room to pee once or twice when they were cleaning the women's room or there was a super long line.

 

If you've never been in this sort of situation, you must be much more put-together than the rest of us. That, or you're just lucky. It's not ideal, but honestly, sometimes you really have to do what you gotta do. Your body has needs, and your kid is even worse.

 

Now, in the situation the OP stated, it would probably have been better to ask if they could use her bathroom. Like, 100% better. But maybe she was embarrassed. I try not to judge, or at least I try to pretend I'm not judging, because I know - it could be me.

[katilac]

I've seen a child allowed to squat in a metro train in Beijing.  It was a long time ago though.  

 

When I lived in China more recently, children would squat at the side of the walkway (outside) but not in an indoor space.

 

Then what happens? Are they prepared with bags or something to pick it up, or do they just leave it there? 

[Laura Corin]

Then what happens? Are they prepared with bags or something to pick it up, or do they just leave it there? 

 

If it's pee, it just stays there, like dog pee does.

 

Parents carry squares of newspaper in their pockets.  When their child squats for a poo, they put the paper on the ground under the child's bottom to catch the poo, fold it up and throw it away.  It's all quite neat and sanitary.

[Nart]

we have actively taught all our boys to wee outside at our rural property. it saves an awful lot of water in flushing and gets the lemon trees growing beautifully. they do however learn form a young age that what we do in a rural setting is not what we do in a residential setting. Having said that. I think all of my children,.. while being toilet trained have done a wee in not exactly the best place in a public area.

 

my most embarrassing one was my oldest ds. He did a wee right at the top of a slide in a very busy playground. ( age 3). I moved away form him and pretended I wasn't related to him. :ohmy:

Is urine good for lemon trees? I live in Southern California so I am fine with my six year old peeing in our backyard to save water (and because he has terrible aim and can't always remember to lift the seat unlike his older brother). We have several citrus trees. I have never heard that peeing on lemon trees is good for the trees.

[Melissa in Australia]

yes urine is very good for lemon trees. if it is very dry then it is best if they don't do it in the exact same location every time as it will burn the grass.