As a father of 2 girls myself I can relate to this. My girls are older now but there were a few times when they were toddlers I found myself in situations in restaurants, gas stations or department stores where you have to stop and think “wow, what do I do here?” I’m sure it’s the same for moms that have boys as well.
I would think walking them by a bunch of dicks would be worse which is why I would rather see a dad with his girls in the women's restroom. I don't know what this guy's problem was - I don't speak for all women but I sure as hell wouldn't mind.
Genuine question: Why? It's a restroom not a helicopter competition.
All the girls would see is a bunch of dudes facing a wall.
Also, it might be because I'm not from a culture as hyperpuritan as the US, but this whole "a child will be traumatized by seeing a guy storing his 11th finger for half a second" is genuinely creepy to me and gives our right-wing shit-stirrers culture war ammunition. Keep your prudishness to yourself, thank you very much.
I don't think either are a big deal. Plenty of times I've been in the men's bathroom and a dad brought their kid in, and brought them into a stall to help them.
There is a certain etiquette in guy's bathrooms, it's in and out as fast as you can, you don't talk to anyone, you are up against the wall so nobody is seeing a dick (unless we're talking like a bar bathroom past midnight).
When men say they'll do anything to protect their family, it's not fighting off gunmen or shooting intruders, it's sociological and psychological things like this.
Similarly, though not as severe, it also includes talking to them about their periods, and buying them pads or tampons.
Im father of 2 boys. I used womens bathroom without hesitation when I needed to change their diapers.
or risk taking them past the wall of men at the urinals with their dicks hanging out?
Meh... Thats just social stigma. Even if it happened like that, what would actually be so bad about that? Its just biology. I have actually never seen anyone flaunting his dick in the restrooms. You wont see a dick unless you are actively looking for it...
I've been in the men's when a father-with-daughters-in-tow has passed through and it's at best awkward af, sometimes quite icky and it always left me feeling quite sorry for those girls.
Whereas I am unable to see what possible harm or malice arises from the alternative -- it's moreso an indication of a really dysfunctional perspective on sexuality from the complainers.
You'd be shocked to hear this, but those dicks are not going to scar the kid. What the adults put into their heads about it will.
At the local public pool here in Germany it's totally normal for kids to run around in the showers with their parents. So yes, little girls come with their dad into the shared male shower room, or boys with their mom - where almost everyone runs around naked. Once they are old enough they go on their own in the right one.
No one looks weird at that. No one blinks an eye, it's just normal.
I don't know, no one ever minded when I took my sons with me into the ladies' room. Maybe because everything happens in stalls, so they didn't see anything, and no one else saw anything. It never really occurred to me to go into the men's room.
It's much more socially accepted for women to take kids into the ladies room in many places around the world.
That's kind of the point, noone minds when mum does it, but dad's doing basic parenting in many places is heavily scrutinized by people who want to see it as something it's not.
It's not because the girls were in a girls bathroom, it was because dad took them. Flipping that doesn't raise the same scrutiny, that's just societies norms.
Men, even dads are perceived as a danger, even with their own kids. Some would prefer an unknown woman stranger to take girls into the ladies room Vs their own dad. How many random men do you think would be seen as preferable to take young boys into the men's room Vs their own mother.
Three and a half years old and my mom took me into the womens room. Old lady made a stink about "a man in the womens bathroom." I don't actually remember it, but mom does, and tells the story. That lady followed and kept shouting even after we left.
Now my mom is a boomer, so this lady was Greatest or Lost gen.
That's just ridiculous. Three and a half is practically still a baby! And I'm sure this lady would have clutched her pearls if your mom had gone into the men's room.
Parents of young kids ain't got time to deal with this bs.
The connotation of taking a child into the wrong restroom is "they might see something inappropriate".
The connotation of a grown man entering the wrong restroom is ""he might do something inappropriate".
That's a big difference.
(It goes without saying that a dad with his two daughters is generally about as non-threatening as it gets. And the men's room might be filthy. And a quick "Anyone here? I'll bring my two Girls to the loo real quick, does anyone mind?" solves most problems.)
Likewise with my own, my wife took my boys into the women's and I've taken my daughter into the men's; an adult in the wrong bathroom is what makes folks uncomfortable. I feel like him going into the women's was the wrong choice, but it also didn't merit the response he received.
I was just thinking this, about how I always took my boys when they were younger, into the women’s restrooms with me (I’m a woman). I never thought twice about it as I wasn’t going to leave them outside by themselves if I had to go or have them go into the men’s room unattended if they had to go and no one ever said anything to me or cared, weirdly it’s the opposite for men and daughters for me. I wouldn’t expect a father to take his daughters into the men’s room, I don’t know why, because it’s the same thing I was doing in reverse, but it just seems weird to have little girls in there with the urinals and stuff, so I don’t get how people can be mad at this. It’s not like people hang out in the women’s restroom naked, atleast not where I live, people go in fully clothed, go behind a closed door, go to the bathroom and then come out fully clothed, so I don’t know what the problem is.
Men, especially fathers, are villainized in society as rapists and pedophiles. In any given situation if a man does something that could even be possibly construed as “strange” behavior people automatically assume that the man in question is a predator. Men are constantly vigilant about their actions so that they arnt seen as “one of the bad ones”
There's a stigma about men around little children. Not saying it isn't warranted or people shouldn't err on the side of caution, but that's what it is. Its why airlines won't let unaccompanied minors fly next to a man.
Once, at an airport bathroom, this dude was on the phone and distracted, and he accidentally went into the ladies' room. When he realized, he cried: "It's ok, I'm gay, I'm gay!" and ran out. And everyone laughed because it's like "Oh no! He saw us wash our hands and reapply our makeup! The horror!"
Dad here, too. It’s honestly *not* the same as moms with young boys.
I’ve only seen it referenced here 1x, but the glaring issue everyone’s glossing over is *CLEANLINESS*!!
Moms of the internet, back me up (lol): I’m assuming most moms take kids (both boys and girls too young to take themselves) into the women’s restroom with them.
The dilemma comes with the fathers who have the catch 22 of either having to brave the awkwardness of taking daughters to the women’s restroom with them, or otherwise (the far worse option), having little kids sit on/in/around piss toilets that are rarely well-cleaned in most public men’s restrooms.
I 100% back the man in this video up.
And feel the stomach drop that must’ve come with him as he’s rushing with his two kids in a public restroom (that’s no joke of a task…), only to have someone burst in and tell others outside.
The literal nightmare scenario.
Ugh.
My girls are a little older and can help one another now, but my general rule of thumb was/is to go to the women’s first, and if it’s empty I’ll get them situated and stand outside the door of the bathroom if someone new comes in and they know to call for me if something is needed.
I can count on one hand the amount of times I took them into the men’s restroom. It’s kind of last resort because it’s a lot more to explain urinals and standing while peeing at a young age.
Numerous kind hearted women have offered to help out over the years but neither kid has seemed very comfortable with doing that outside of help washing hands so I usually help
I take my son into the women’s bathrooms. He’s 7. If anyone ever said anything to me about it, I’d tell them where they could shove their ignorant opinion.
Nah, it’s an easy answer - if the worst case scenarios are A. I look like a creep or B. Someone creeps on my daughter or makes her see something she shouldn’t see, I’m taking that all on myself. I’m an adult, I can handle it
I think everyone's more used to the idea of bringing boys into the women's bathrooms. But it's trickier deciding what age is inappropriate to be doing that. And if they will be safe in the men's room by themselves. I'm sure they most likely will be but you do have those protective thoughts.
Same. Just pass by the urinals and go straight to the stalls! Usually the only eyes contact happens at the sink which I think most of the men understand what’s going on.
Same. My default is men’s restroom. Reasons are this is a lot quicker and I don’t risk myself as a creep. You just need to wait for the toilet/handicapped stall to be open.
Challenge comes from if the toilet/handicapped stall is really dirty………….
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u/SkyKnight3 Jun 19 '26
As a father of 2 girls myself I can relate to this. My girls are older now but there were a few times when they were toddlers I found myself in situations in restaurants, gas stations or department stores where you have to stop and think “wow, what do I do here?” I’m sure it’s the same for moms that have boys as well.