In Western Australia a couple of years ago, an 8 yr old girl using the toilets by herself in a shopping mall (she was at the mall with her uncle) was pulled into the handicapped toilet (a single room on its own), molested and killed. The whole thing took ten minutes. It is hard to shrug off something like that, even though you know it’s a 1 in a million occurrence. If her uncle had been hovering outside the ladies’ to collect her, the guy who grabbed her wouldn’t have had the opportunity. How willing are you as a parent to play the odds with your child’s life?
It’s easy to shrug off *because *I know it’s a one in a million occurrence.
People play these odds every single day. There is no way to never let someone out of your sight at all. Someone was killed on a bicycle across the street from my building. I still ride my bike. Calm down, vigilant mom.
Okay, first, Jesus Christ, that’s awful.
Second, less than a year ago in my own state, an infant was killed when his parents drove him to the doctor. That’s a lot more recent than your incident, and a lot closer. But I still drive my daughter to the doctor.
So I guess I’m pretty willing to play the odds with my child’s life.
Edit: tracking down the incident you’re talking about, we learn something horrifying but relevant:
In other words, he wasn’t lurking in a bathroom waiting for a victim (which would be extremely hazardous, given the chance that someone else might come in), but rather dragged her into an empty bathroom. This incident doesn’t justify the measures described in this thread.
Down here in Maryland, there seems to be a trend in that direction. I don’t know whether there’s a new law, or what, but it’s happening.
When the Annapolis Mall expanded a couple of years ago, they included a rather sizable family restroom area, complete with breast-feeding booths, individual restrooms big enough to drive a stroller or cart into with room left over (really handy when you want to use the toilet, without having to unstrap your 2 year old from his stroller), a kiddie play area, and lots of extra sinks.
My wife tells me that the new Wal-Mart in our county has something similar. Must be a new law, since I doubt WallyWorld did that out of the goodness of their heart.
How’s that any different from waiting outside the women’s room while your wife or SO is in there? Lord knows I’ve done that plenty of times during my married life, but never gotten the beady eye from security anywhere.
Ahh, Walmart is run by Pedos! They just gave their fellow Pedos a new place to lurk!
Really? You accompany your wife to the bathroom even if you have no need to use it? If I’m somewhere with my wife and she has to go to the bathroom, we generally come up with a plan where I stay in a known place, like the seat I’m already sitting in at the movies, or the section of the store we’re already shopping in, while my wife goes to the bathroom by herself. Same thing if I’m the one going. But if my daughter(s) have to go, I generally bring them to the bathroom, and wait around near the door so they don’t have to find me when they’re done.
If and when I color my hair again, I want some of the stuff those kidnappers use. They manage to change the kid’s hair color in a few minutes, with no lingering smell. While the stuff my hairdresser used had to sit on my hair for 30 minutes, and smelled.
[hijack] According to that article, the British refer to police lineups as “identification parades.” Sounds like the worst parade ever. [/hijack]
Well, to the area outside the bathroom, anyway, because that’s where we already are when she sees sign pointing to the bathroom and asks if I mind if she ducks in.
Say this happens in a shopping mall. Unless there was a specific store I wanted to visit that was in sight from the sign pointing to the restrooms, it would take more time than it’s worth to come up with a place somewhere else where she should join me. And it’s not like she’s going to be in there that long anyway, so it’s easier to just wait.
I’m usually waiting outside when we both go and I’m faster. I’ve never gotten dirty looks, though.
I think it’s pretty normal to see men waiting for their wives or daughters outside womens’ rooms. I’ve never gotten a dirty look.
My mom brought me into the ladies room at her equivalent of the Y when I was c. 2-4. I still clearly remember the bushes and boobs.
Hmm - maybe I should stop wearing a trenchcoat over shorts when I go out with my daughters then.
Keep the trenchcoat, skip the shorts, it’s the shorts that’ll slow you down. Just sayin’. 
It’s far more likely to be her uncle than a stranger.
I only step into a public men’s room if my need is urgent. A woman telling me I can’t enter because her child is in there had better have a huge purse, as I’ll assume I can piss/shit in it. 
You can communicate your need by having the proper cellphone ringtone:
You say it’s urgent, make it fast, make it urgent
Do it quick, do it urgent, gotta rush, make it urgent…Want it quick
Urgent, urgent, emergency…Urgent, urgent, emergency…
Urgent, urgent, urgent, urgent, emergency
Urgent, urgent, urgent, urgent, emergency, so urgent, emergency
Emer-(ooh-oooh) emer-(ooh-oooh) emer-(ooh-oooh) It’s urgent
So urgent…
She’ll clear out of your way in a hurry.
I usually do let him stay outside the stall in most cases. I just want to make sure he’s not peeping. Not that he tries. supergoose covered some of the other reasons why a mom might want to keep tabs on her kid in a restroom, but of course my perfect child would never be a nuisance! 
Yep. We need a Mapplethorpe thread.
I laughed at the OP and then read some of it to a coworker.
She’s now furious at me for thinking it was funny. She’s “not going to take risks just because people like [me] are ridiculing [her].”