Apologies if this is naive, but she's said she's not so worried about predators but "grown men using the toilet". What is wrong with him seeing a grown man using the toilet? I'd be interested to know if this woman is a single parent and if the child's father is involved, what he thinks.

If he's old enough to be complaining about it, he's old enough to use the Mens room, you can helicopter at the door if you must (pun not intended). Plus its far more likely he's going to get bother from someone in a quiet bathroom than a busy one (most men aren't about to let a 7yo get harassed). FYI In the UK in public swimming pools anyone over the age of 8 is expected to use their gender changing room... Just make sure he knows the 'etiquette' ie, don't go standing next to someone when there's space elsewhere.

Huh. I've been wondering why I'm seeing more older boys in women's bathrooms over the last few years. I never used to see a boy above toddler age. I guess people are getting more worried about predators in men's bathrooms? I don't have kids, so I honestly don't know how I'd handle that.

When my son was 6, I had enrolled him in swimming lessons along with his older sister. I would bring him into the women's dressing room, which had private cubicles, to change him out of his swimsuit and into dry clothes (swim lessons were in autumn to spring). I didn't see it as an issue, but another mother became upset with me for bringing my 6 yr old son into the women's room because it invaded her privacy (it wasn't adult swim, and the cubicles has curtains. My son never wandered) , and told me I should either make him change alone in the men's area, or go in with him to the men's room. She even made a complaint with the staff, who sided with me- he was 6 yrs old! He required help getting dressed. I guess I could have gone into the men's room with him and his 8 yr old sister, but it would have made both the boys and my daughter uncomfortable.

Having being sexually molested at age nine, I am perfectly fine with little boys in the ladies room. I would try for a family or handicapped stall first, but yeah, no, most sex crimes are crimes of opportunity. Don't give molesters opportunities.

I used to take my daughter into the men's room, and I have seen other dads do the same. On the other hand, my daughter had a little boy crawl under her stall door in an airport women's room because he wanted to play with her, so for Pete's sake control your kids in public rest rooks!

The first time you use a urinal is a big step. Do you write your name with the jet of pee or just see how far back you can stand and still achieve high accuracy.

Perhaps she doesn't want to explain penises and their differences. And she must not see naked men often enough to understand that there's just not much to see when their urinating. I have stood at the ladies room door and warned women that a dad had his little girl in the big stall, if someone wanted to wait for them to leave. Everyone was okay with it. She was 3 or 4 and he felt the ladies room would have cleaner seats lol. 7 is old enough to go alone, though if it's one of those super big public restrooms like at an airport that have multiple exits, I might be more cautious, mostly because I know my kids and they'd get lost. Being too overprotective makes the child think he has something to fear. It does not build confidence.

At 7 he's old enough to pee alone

Jesus I know some 8 y\os riding the city bus all by themselves. But this kid isn't allowed 10 yards away from Mom for 60 seconds. I wonder if he still uses a sippy cup?

When mine started "I'm a boy, I want to use the boys bathroom," I started at "okay, but I stand in the doorway and you need to sing ABC's for me" (the main door to the bathroom, a door which was routinely propped open anyway or even had no door at all, not in a busy place, bathroom has privacy walls between entry and toilet/urinal area etc. I was not invading anyone else's privacy, I promise.) More than once, I had an exiting man say "there's no one else in there, you can go in with him" or just straight up laughing about a little boy using a urinal while singing loudly. Then we graduated to him yelling at me that he did not *want* to sing, which accomplished the same thing. Then to using places that did have closed doors, were more busy, etc, with me waiting in the hall right outside. It was a gradual independence. We've been conditioned to think there are child predators lying in wait in every men's room, but there isn't.

I’ve struggled with this myself. I started doing it in some smaller places around 5 because he was interested in using the men’s room and I’d post outside and tell him to shout if he needs anything. My husband lost his mind when he learned I did this so I backed off. He’s 6 now and I do it sometimes and sometimes I don’t. I think I mainly base it off the size of the restroom and how crowded it is and if there are multiple entrances/exits. I should point out that my son is very outgoing and assertive. I still worry but I want him to grow up too. It’s always me holding on and him blazing forward fearless. I don’t know if other parents feel that way too.

At 7 he is definitely able to go to the toilet by himself especially if uncomfortable coming in with mom at that age. I started to feel weird bringing mine into ladies' room when they were 5 ish. Old enough to comment loudly on the other ladies lol. But whatever is right for you is what is right for your family! There are never black/white answers in regards to parenting. Just an opinion here but I wouldn't want to see boys older than 7 ish in bathroom. If they can see the mirror by themselves, probably a little too old. Unless mirrors are lower there ha

In South Africa kids are regularly molested in public bathrooms. Thankfully some malls have family bathrooms that allows mom's to accompany sons or dads to accompany daughters. Effed up world.

When my kids were little 35 years ago, itwas always interesting seeing no lines for men's bathrooms because women were taking all the kids - boys and girls - into the women's bathrooms, and the lines were down the hallways. It was even better on camping trips when women were taking the boys into the women's showers. I had a boy and a girl, so I hear this woman's problem. By the time my son was in school, I sent him into the men's room by himself and waited outside. If he wasnt out within a couple minutes, I would call his name through the door and ask him to answer. Then the problem became what to do with him while I went into the women's bathroom with my younger daughter. Yep. Bigger problem, right? The answer is the creation of the "Family Restrooms", and we are starting to see more of them. We all need to lobby builders and developers to create them in all public spaces. One older venue actually converted one men's restroom into a series of family restrooms.