Airport Bathrooms..Would You Let Your Opposite Sex Child Go In Alone?
Would you let your 11 year old go in alone at the airport restroom?
School will be or is already out for many.
Some children will even travel with their siblings by themselves to visit grandparents. So here’s the scenario… You’re an almost 15 year old girl and are traveling with your little brother, soon to be 11. What will you do if you’re a teen girl and your little brother needs to use the men’s restroom, because a 15 year old girl would have issues with entering the men’s restroom as would the men!
When children are younger, you see the moms bringing their boys in to the women’s room. I’ve even witnessed an older boy, possibly 10 in the women’s restroom. It is disconcerting as some of the cracks in those toilet stalls can be seen through!
Some malls have begun putting in family bathrooms. I believe that the airport terminals also have family bathrooms. But let’s consider there may be an emergency issue and the close bathroom is male or female only right in front of you. What would you tell your children to do?
This is also counting on the fact that you would send your children off alone on a plane. The flight crew may be able to point out to the teen on a map where the family bathrooms are, but the issue could arise and what would be your pre-determined plan for your traveling children?
Please leave your comments! They would be helpful to parents seeking this information, especially if this has already happened to you or someone you know.
This may upset some people, but I would tell my daughter to let him go with her. That or she is to stand outside the door the whole time (if he goes into the mens). These are my kids we are talking about so I’d rather some people get upset than have my kids unsafe.
It’s a tough subject and I appreciate your comment, Deana.
It is my understanding that unaccompanied minors are tracked more carefully than a FedEx package and are under the supervision of a flight attendant or other airline employee at all times. They whisk them from gate to gate on one of those motorized cars when they have connecting flights, and they are among the first to deplane and the first to board. In the unlikely event that they would need to use a restroom between gates, the employee responsible for their safety could quickly get them to a family restroom or an employee restroom. Of course, this assumes that the parents notified the airline in advance that they would be traveling as unaccompanied minors and made all the appropriate arrangements. http://www.united.com/page/article/0,1360,1052,00.html
I see by the url you included in your comment that 5-11 yrs. old is mandatory for using the United Airlines supervising attendant and 12-17 yrs. old is optional. The fee is $99 per child and it sounds like a bargain!
Another issue that also came up in the article was cancelled flights and hotel rooms. Hard to imagine your children sitting overnight in an airport because the ticket purchaser chose not to purchase the supervisory attendant option for $99 (for whatever reasons).
I see that all airlines have different rules, so checking ahead regarding their policy is important!
Thanks, Laura!
As we begin our potty training journey, I’ve already started to worry about this issue – even just in the mall bathroom or restaurant bathroom! Oh, being a parent is tough! Good thing God is ultimately in charge!
Audra recently posted..Oh, Those Terrible Two’s
I wonder if anyone has a ‘family-style bathroom guide’ out yet? I’d buy one.
Maybe parents should rise up and demand family-style bathrooms…squeeky wheel gets the grease!
I would never let my 15-year-old daughter embarrass herself by going into the men’s restroom just to let my son go to the bathroom! And I would never let my 11-year-old daughter embarrass himself by going into the women’s restroom just for the accompaniment of my daughter! And how wrong both options are! I’d make my 15-year-old daughter stand outside the door of the men’s restroom while my son used it, and that’s the only option I’d give her.
My mother used to call into the restroom and insist on my brother yelling back. The only airport bathroom I’d trust would be the Family bathrooms. It’s a one stall and the family member can wait right near the door. Thanks for stopping by, Claire!
I’m sorry, 11-year-old daughter. Oh, how I hate typos!
Did I just make the same mistake again? 11-year-old SON! There we go!
It’s okay, Claire. We all have those days!