Public Restrooms

Last night we watched the Gilmore Girls. There was a scene where Lorelei comments about a woman taking a four year old boy into a ladies' restroom.

I didn't get it. Call me dense, but what is the big deal? There are stall with doors. It's not like taking a four year old girl into the men's room, where she can watch the urinals being used.

Can someone tell me what the big deal is? What was she suppposed to do? Leave the four year old standing outside in the street while she went to pee? Not exactly safe where I live, and I live in a nice small town. I would never leave my kid like that, and I sure wouldn't crash the party in the men's room in the name of keeping him with me so I could pee. (Lord knows with the way men behave in unisex bathrooms on trains, I probably wouldn't want to sit on the seat in there anyway, even if there were not a risk I'd get arrested.) Heck, if my four year old son had to pee, I would drag him into the ladies' rather than send him alone into the men's. There are too many sickos in the world.

And yet, Lorelei obviously had a problem with this, so I suppose some other women do too. Why? I mean, I am assuming that I will be able to keep Mikro from peeking under the doors or being a total pest, which I suppose is a large asumption, given that I have seen other kids do those things. And yes, I was annoyed when it happened to me. But jeez louise, it's a four year old we are talking about, not a teenager! I got over it.

So what is a mama supposed to do?

I am years away from having to worry about this, but I worried about it when I was pregnant, when I found out I was having a boy. Yes, I'm nuts. But I wonder what the right answer is...

All of that said, here's an entry for my category called The Death of Civility

On Public Toilets:

What is it with women who stand up to pee in public toilets and then leave their splashings all over the seat for the next person to deal with?

If your pristine ass is too good to sit on the toilet like a normal person, then do what my over-cautious mama taught me, and wallpaper it with toilet tisssue until your comfrot level is reached. When you get done, use another bit of TP to slide your butt nest into the bowl and flush it away, please.

I am not your fricking maid, and your piss is no more or less offensive or unsanitary than the cooties, germs or VD you imagine your mannish pissing is going to save you from. It is ignorant and inconsiderate in the extreme.

I always wipe the seat before and after I use the facilities. I do not imagine for one second anyone is eager to wipe up my piss, or sit in it, so I make sure I leave a neat dry seat for the next happy camper.

Why is that so fricking difficult for some people???

And even if you are a mama with kids, clean up after the kids' pee too. It takes a second, and it is your responsibility.

I can remember one incident in particular which bugs me. A woman cut the bathroom line at the train station one morning, right in front of me, with her little seven year old boy. I was tap dancing because I had to pee so bad, but she came out of nowhere and practically tackled me to edge in front of me. When she came out some ten minutes later (which felt like an eternity), she left little boy piss all over the seat and floor. So I had to spend yet more time cleaning up her mess.

When I got out, I approached her, pissed purple, and managed to limit my response to her disgusting behavior to a very loud remark:

Lady, if you can't teach your son aim, at least teach him manners. Clean up your own damn mess!

At least she looked embarassed. Maybe I made her think. Maybe her kid will bug her about it. One can only hope.

What ever happened to common courtesy?