Ah, something as simple as going pee in a public washroom (I was raised in Canada…it’s “restroom” for my American friends) can be a very difficult task when you bring a toddler into the equation. When our little ones are strapped into their strollers, all we need to worry about (for the most part) is finding one of those big “accessible” stalls. However, for those of us who are thrill seekers and sometimes go stroller-less, something as simple as a visit to the public bathroom can be considered an extreme sport, not for the faint of heart…or even slightly self-conscious. Huh, you say?! Well, fortunately, this story I am about to tell you is not my own and did not happen to me personally but I could easily see that it could. I have the blessing of my good Mommy Friend, D, to share it with you here. Not so long ago, D was out and about with her very active toddler daughter and needed to use the public restroom. Having no stroller, she had her daughter stand in the stall with her as she went about her business (“number one”, I assure you). Midstream her daughter makes her escape through the space under the stall door and D, acting quickly like any mom would, finds herself rushing out into the public area of the restroom…with her pants (and undergarments) still down around her ankles. Ah, the joys of Mommyhood.
Epilogue: Fret not…the story ends well in that there happened to be no one else in the bathroom at the time of The Incident and, thanks to D’s speediness, her daughter did not have enough time to escape more than a few feet from the bathroom door and was thus safe.
P.S. If Bathroom Stories or Bathroom Etiquette is your thing, check out the website for The International Centre for Bathroom Etiquette at www.icbe.org
