Bringing my Daughter into the Men’s Public Restoom
A while back, while my wife and I were at a restaurant, our daughter told us she had to potty. My wife suggested I take her into the men’s room. I was dubious as I had never done that before.
I walked hand in tiny hand with her to the restroom and was looking at my surroundings to make sure I knew where we were sitting. (Since I am directionally dysfunctional.)
I nonchalantly glanced down to my daughter’s eyes and she was looking up at me smiling, total trust in her eyes, as they should be.
When we ingressed the bathroom, there was a table that you could turn down that allowed you to change your child right there.
It was near the front of the bathroom and anyone that entered (and there was several) could watch me change my daughter’s diaper. I cringed. I noticed all the guys looking at me, which is to be expected, but I thought to myself. What if one of them is taking more than a casual glance? Chances are they are not. BUT, you just never know. The thought repulsed me to my core. Needless to say, I changed her in a hurry and left. As we were walking back to our table, I wondered. I surveyed the room and looked at everyone within my range of vision. How can someone detect deviance in a person? Do you judge people by the way they dress, their mannerism? The simple answer is you cannot. There is no detection, that I know about, that will allow safety. You have to keep your child close to you at all times and it is very sad to think like that.
When I got back to our table, I told my wife that I would change our girl’s diaper anytime at our house or any other house with people we know, but I will not, WILL NOT, change our daughter again in the men’s public bathroom. I explained my reasoning and she agreed.
I know I might be melodramatic, but I will not take any unnecessary risks when it comes to my little girl. Does anyone agree or disagree with my opinion?
November 20th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Guy, you’re being overcautious. As a single dad of 3 daughters, I have taken them into the men’s restrooms countless times when they were younger and my 8 and 7 year-old continue to enter the restroom with me on occasion when the women’s restroom is too busy. Not once have I caught anyone glancing at my daughters and neither have they been more than mildly curious at the men standing at the urinals as they enter a stall. It’s just not that big a deal in our household; they understand the biological differences between males and females and have never expressed any discomfort around men. I feel like I can reasonably assure you that none of the men who happened to casually observe you changing your daughter gave it the slightest after thought. Be easy man, there will be other opportunities to guard your daughter from the world as she ages; this is rarely one of them.
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