One mum sparked an online debate when she asked fellow mums if it’s acceptable for her husband to take their daughter into the female toilets.
The woman asked Mumsnet users for their opinion on the matter. The mum admitted that she didn’t think her husband should enter the female toilets, even if her daughter needed to go to the bathroom.
The mum explained, “He takes her to the ladies' loos. I told him that women don't like that, and he should take her to the men's loo.”
Many women felt like it would be irresponsible to let her four-year-old daughter go to the bathroom by herself, therefore her dad should go to the women's loo with her.
One mum shared, “It wouldn’t bother me and it’s probably much nicer for her. I do think we should have family toilets for these situations.”
One mum believed that the men’s loo was not suitable for a young girl, “Men’s toilets are grim. I wouldn’t want my darling daughter going in. I’d rather my husband find a disabled loo.”
Another expressed their disapproval at bringing a young girl into the men’s toilets, “I still have memories of being taken into men’s loos as a child. They are horrible.”
“I would prefer to see a man take his daughter to the ladies if no family/disabled toilet was available. I don’t think any young child needs urinal or stinky cubicle exposure,” said one mum.
One user disagreed, they believed that there was nothing wrong with the young girl using the male toilets, “He should take her to the men’s. It’s what dads and granddads have had to do for years.”
They added, “When she’s a bit older she can go to the ladies on her own.”
Many mums understood that some dads don’t have a choice but to bring their daughter into the women’s toilets. Some men’s public bathrooms can be grubby and smelly. They believed that it was not the right place for a young girl to be.
“I would rather a father in the ladies than a four-year-old girl being taken into the gents with no idea what she might see.”
Others believed that shopping centres and public places should have family toilets, so parents don’t have to deal with this issue.
Installing family toilets would help avoid this problem that many parents face daily.
Mums, what do you think? Is it acceptable for a dad to bring his daughter into the ladies’ loos? Or should he bring her into the men’s bathroom instead?
