Public handicapped restrooms...

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

I think I would really enjoy your husband Jodi.

[peggyfromwastate]

Re:

If we're so picky about what's going on in the bathroom, then what about women who bring in their boys to the women's room? Just because it says "Women," doesn't mean you don't bring 3 year old Bobby with you. My mom and I brought my brother with us to the bathroom all the time. We weren't about to let him go by himself.

Yeah, after the whole Larry Craig thing, I am bringing Steven into the women's room with me for several years yet to come...

(He's 6! But not old enough for men's restrooms!)

Anyway, she was out of line... And having been there with twins too, we just didn't fit into a "standard" stall at all. So really, what choice did you have.

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

I agree with Jody - I don't usually use a handicapped stall but if there is a line and that is the first one that opens up that is the one I use. With kids I can totally see using them if there aren't family restrooms available and as some said I've seen the changing table in there too.

Being in the shopping center industry has opened my eyes to many, many things about people's complaints. Because of the size of our mall we are only required to have one handicap accessible restroom. We have a VERY nice restroom that was built in '02 which has a couple of handicapped stalls as well as two very nice family restrooms complete with the mini toilets. I'm amazed at how many complaints we get that our other restroom isn't handicapped accessible even though we do have push button doors on it and it does have one larger stall but its just a smaller bathroom, there are only 4 stalls, the sinks are not ADA compliant because we just don't have the space. And we have a very nice sign right outside the door that says these bathrooms are NOT handicapped accessible and where you can find the ones that are, which is a very short walk.

As for the parking spaces - we have "family" parking spaces which are meant for families with strollers. 4 by two of our entrances, surprisingly we didn't get any complaints when we installed them but several malls that I know did - every group under the sun came out of the woodwork wanting their own parking spots.

I have to say I do like the Expectant mother spots at Babies R Us and Wal-Mart, of course I've just started using them. I felt bad using them before I was obviously showing.

I've learned a lot of people just have their own issues and they're just going to complain to whoever is handy.

[PrincessFiona]

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

Our mall has family toilets! They are giant bathrooms with a big potty and a little potty...and matching big/little sinks! It's awesome. (I know this is off topic, of course.)




Kris

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

Our mall has family toilets! They are giant bathrooms with a big potty and a little potty...and matching big/little sinks! It's awesome. (I know this is off topic, of course.)




Kris

Your mall is owned by the same company that I work for - they really do have very nice bathrooms!

[Rapunzel]

Our mall has family toilets! They are giant bathrooms with a big potty and a little potty...and matching big/little sinks! It's awesome. (I know this is off topic, of course.)




Kris

I've been in a mall back in TX like that. The family toilet was really awesome - once we got in. Unfortunately when we got there it was occupied by an older, single woman....


I suppose those are also for anyone unless/until a mom with small children shows up?

On a side-note: I've taken my son to the restroom with me until quite recently - if it's a public one. I can remember about a year and a half ago (he was about 8 - almost 9 at that point) I was on the five hour drive between Dallas and SA with all of my kiddos (youngest being about a year old at that point). We stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere because the kids all needed to go potty. I took them all into the EMPTY ladies' restroom with me at a larger gas station (the kind with a fast food restaraunt inside along with a mini-mart). I did my normal routine - checked the toilets, covered them all, assigned each kid a stall and waited. Once they were all done I lined them up at the sinks and told them after their hands were clean to stand right by the door - just inside it. And THEN I took the baby with me into a stall and relieved myself. While I was in that stall a woman comes into the ladies room and immediately yells at my son, "Boys are not supposed to be in here! Where's your mom?" She seemed QUITE agitated. I said from my stall, "He's my son. He is supposed to be in here and he is waiting for me to finish." The woman then went on to chew me out - telling me (again, YELLING :huh: ) that it wasn't appropriate, blah, blah, blah. As I was about to flush I finally told her, "He is a LITTLE boy. He is standing by the door waiting for me. If I left him out in a gas station in the middle of nowhere while I went to the restroom someone like YOU would call the police because his mother wasn't around and YOU would call it neglect." She shut up and stormed out of the restroom.

Never did figure out who in the restaraunt/mini-mart area that was! She didn't use the restroom, btw! The kicker was that during this entire thing my children WERE all lined up at the door quietly waiting for me. Afterward I told my son that he did NOTHING wrong and that woman was completely out of line - that I most certainly was NOT going to leave him out in a gas station in the middle of nowhere all alone.

And, I had validation for that decision shortly thereafter. When we got out to the car at said big gas station I opened up the back of the minivan to get some treats for the kids to eat as a snack. (Remember I was driving this trip alone with my kids - no dh or other adult along). The kids were eating and heading towards the doors to the minivan when this beat up old junker pulled up and a man I swear came out of Deliverance hanging out of the window said to me, "Where's your husband?" Ummmm..... The guy had his car pulled up within a couple of FEET of the driver's side of my car. He was NASTY looking (as in clearly unwashed, missing the majority of the teeth in his mouth, etc.) and I just got this creepy, skin-crawling feeling as soon as I saw the car. I didn't say a word to the guy - just quickly told the kids to get into the car - NOW. They did (thank goodness they all obeyed me). And, I continued to not say a word to the man as he continued to inquire as to the whereabouts of my husband over and over. CREEPY.

I had not gone to my door yet - I wanted to make sure the kids were in and the back was closed in these few seconds (half a minute?) of time - it's amazing the weird, bad things that take only sixty seconds of your life. Anyway, I turned to the guy, gave him my iciest Northeastern glare and told him, "You can GO now." The guy just stopped talking (thank goodness) and then must have pulled up on his break because his car jerked forward (and, thankfully, put his car a few feet farther from mine) but he immediately stopped it and started mumbling angrily under his breath. I quickly got into my car, locked the doors and drove off. I was NOT going to give him time to decide what to do.

I must have checked my rearview mirror about a dozen times in a dozen miles after that! I was pretty sure that the junker couldn't overtake my new minivan, however, and I calmed down after a bit.

What if creepy Deliverance dude had walked into the gas station and noticed a cute little 8 year old boy all by himself? Where's the shuddering icon? The guy was weird - and there was something very, very wrong with him and the entire situation.

[peggyfromwastate]

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

That's pretty scary TR. I hate public restrooms.

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

Wow, TR, that story gave me the heeby-jeebies!!!

I have no problem with boys in the ladies room. What an uptight biddy!



OT : Speaking of uptight biddy- went to a family-oriented nude beach recently, and was pleasantly surprised (no uptight biddies). Security was tight, and I had to be interviewed over the phone a week in advance before receiving directions- to keep pervs out. I guess the parents were just demystifying the whole nudity-thing, their kids probably won't turn into weird, uptight biddies, who harass mothers.

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

Tabula Rasa:

You handled that GREAT, I think. On all accounts. That woman was a bitch. She should have used some common sense. For heaven's sake, it was about safety. And, honestly, even if your son was a little beyond the cut-off age, polite society would have assumed that you had a good reason for rounding the whole herd into the bathroom (again, for supervision or safety) and would have just surrendered the bathroom to your family for the few minutes it took to complete the mission.

And on the Deliverance Man--it's it uncanny how quickly children--who might otherwise be distracted--suddenly get a register on their "creep" radar?

I remember watching one of those prime-time "news" shows (like 20/20) when it had a story on a little boy--maybe 6 or 7--who had gone to a public bathroom at a campground. His parents were feet away at a picnic table. Some freak in the bathroom assault him and slashed his throat, killing him instantly. The whole thing took less than three minutes. I don't know if I'll EVER be able to let Sam go to a public bathroom...poor kid. It will be embarrassing to be in the stall with your mom in the room at your college graduation.

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

Tabula Rasa:

You handled that GREAT, I think. On all accounts. That woman was a bitch. She should have used some common sense. For heaven's sake, it was about safety. And, honestly, even if your son was a little beyond the cut-off age, polite society would have assumed that you had a good reason for rounding the whole herd into the bathroom (again, for supervision or safety) and would have just surrendered the bathroom to your family for the few minutes it took to complete the mission.

And on the Deliverance Man--isn't it uncanny how quickly children--who might otherwise be distracted--suddenly get a register on their "creep" radar?

I remember watching one of those prime-time "news" shows (like 20/20) when it had a story on a little boy--maybe 6 or 7--who had gone to a public bathroom at a campground. His parents were feet away at a picnic table. Some freak in the bathroom assault him and slashed his throat, killing him instantly. The whole thing took less than three minutes. I don't know if I'll EVER be able to let Sam go to a public bathroom...poor kid. It will be embarrassing to be in the stall with your mom in the room at your college graduation.

[houseelf]

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

While I was in that stall a woman comes into the ladies room and immediately yells at my son, "Boys are not supposed to be in here! Where's your mom?" She seemed QUITE agitated. I said from my stall, "He's my son. He is supposed to be in here and he is waiting for me to finish." The woman then went on to chew me out - telling me (again, YELLING ) that it wasn't appropriate, blah, blah, blah. As I was about to flush I finally told her, "He is a LITTLE boy. He is standing by the door waiting for me. If I left him out in a gas station in the middle of nowhere while I went to the restroom someone like YOU would call the police because his mother wasn't around and YOU would call it neglect."

Well done, TR. I wish I was there to be your "heavy", although it seems like you handled it well on your own. This is a pet peeve of mine. Little boys and medium sized boys should go to the bathroom with their moms if there are no other adults around. Period. I have strong feelings about this one. (Of course, I stayed up for days on end after reading all of FBI profiler John Douglas' books).

Kelly

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

I remember watching one of those prime-time "news" shows (like 20/20) when it had a story on a little boy--maybe 6 or 7--who had gone to a public bathroom at a campground. His parents were feet away at a picnic table. Some freak in the bathroom assault him and slashed his throat, killing him instantly. The whole thing took less than three minutes. I don't know if I'll EVER be able to let Sam go to a public bathroom...poor kid. It will be embarrassing to be in the stall with your mom in the room at your college graduation.

I remember that incident and it is the reason why DS will follow me into the ladies room till he's married with kids.

I don't get why some people are so weird about boys being in the ladies room....it's not like women parade around in there nude. :huh:

Re: Public handicapped restrooms...

We had a similar story here recently: a little guy, about 6 year old went into a restaurant bathroom alone & got molested there. The whole thing happened in just a few minutes.

Better safe than sorry.