In a child’s early years, mothers offer hands-on care, but as children become more independent, parents may allow them to do things on their own. One mother shared a disturbing incident that occurred at a public restroom and why she will not be allowing her kids to use the toilets by themselves.
Potty training is a major milestone both parents can celebrate with relief and ceremonial trashing of any and all remaining Pull-Ups. It’s an exciting time, but it introduces another element of concern: public restrooms.
As kids get older, most parents no longer feel the need to escort them to the restroom. So long as the door is in sight, the child should be fine, right? It’s especially safe if it’s a single stall, isn’t it?
Can We Really Leave Them Alone?
Well, one mother took to social media to share a horrifying story that should make us all reconsider how much trust we put in any publicly accessible bathroom.
The mother starts with a demonstration of how she escorts her child to the restroom.
She enters a single-stall toilet, swings the door open, checks behind it, then lets her daughter inside. She tells her daughter that she’ll be waiting just outside the door and leaves.
Some might call this an invasion of privacy—why wait just outside the door? Others might be tempted to label the mom a helicopter parent. But she goes on to explain herself, and the story she relays is harrowing.
A Follower Shared A Harrowing Experience In A Public Restroom
The mother, who is an influencer, has many followers across her social media accounts.
One follower, also a mom with a young daughter, shared about an experience she had while at a park with her child.
The follower had to go to the bathroom and choose a single-stall restroom. When the door shut, she got the fright of her life.
She Was Frightened By What She Saw
A man had been hiding behind the door, waiting to lock it as soon as someone stepped inside.
According to the follower, the man “looked very irritated that she was in there [because] she was an adult”.
He had been waiting for a child. She sat there after he left the restroom and stood guard.
A Horrible Realization
As she watched both the man and the restroom, she noticed multiple four- to six-year-old girls enter the restroom by themselves “because the mother can see the restroom, right?”.
At this point, the influencer mom pauses the story to emphasize the dangers.
Had an adult not been present to stop the man, something terrible may have befallen any one of those girls. All it takes is for that door to shut and lock “and you will never get your daughter back”, she warns. “You will never get what he does to her back.”
A Plea To Parents
She ends her video with a plea to all parents. This world is not safe, and while it may be exciting that your child has reached an age of further independence, the simple truth is you can never be too safe.
“Moms and dads,” the mother pleads, “do not let your children go to the restrooms by themselves even if you can see them walking to the restroom and leaving the restroom.”
It Raises An Alarming Concern
The video clearly resonated with parents and sounded a much-needed alarm.
“This woman is spot on,” one person commented on the highly shared video, “This world has unfortunately become a predator’s playground, and I’m proud of her for spreading the word. It’s a very sick world out there, situational awareness is a necessity for all of us, do your due diligence please when it comes to your children!!”
Another user begged moms and dads to “tattoo this advice on [their] brain[s]”, echoing the sentiment that “pedophiles are cunning predators”.
Final Thoughts
The well-being of children is crucial. Teaching kids to be aware and stay safe is only a small part of the equation. As a parent, it is ultimately your responsibility to protect your child from harm.
Ideally, we’d have a society where kids could celebrate their independence and use the restroom freely, but the reality is that there are people ready and willing to cause harm.
While it’s impossible to completely eliminate risks, escorting your child to the restroom can help protect them from a life-altering trauma.
This article was produced and syndicated by TPR Teaching. Source.
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I'm an Irish tutor and founder of TPR Teaching. I started teaching in 2016 and have since taught in the UK, Spain, and online.
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