Parents Allowing Thier Kids To Pee In The Street

Most Brits would not really think very much wrong in seeing a three year old or younger being encouraged to discreetly pee in the street. Not many would really think seeing a kid's weeing tackle was all that shocking or disgusting. Certainly not bad enough to start talking about crimes being committed. That's just the way it is. Sorry.

This is rubbish, sorry.  I would have had exactly same reaction as Lucky Cuz on this one.  I think that, while understanding that children sometimes get caught short, the woman could have been a bit more careful about where the child was urinating, and as there was a public toilet nearby I can't see at all why she didn't take him there.  I think most Brits would feel the same way.  This woman was obviously not discrete about it.  I also disagree about the idea that we don't care about what happens in public areas.  I go nuts when people drop litter in the street, and most people object to littering, though few have the guts to say anything about it.

Vicky

When I moved into my house, across from a lovely old church, there was a mother getting her child to pee right, literally on the brick, of the church!!!  I was surprised to say the least!  Then I took my two little boys to a lovely steam train in Peterborough, you end up near the city center, (just a walk along a canal and you are there), so we walked along the canal to see a kid (old enough to know better) peeing in the canal.  Gross.

Living in Peterborough, I've never, ever seen this. I've been to North London, Birmingham, Spalding, etc and seen child urination there, but somehow not Peterborough.

As a Brit, I do care if parents allow their kids to p*ss in the streets, it's disgusting. I discourage people stating British parents allow this to happen, because it certainly isn't true!

I discourage people stating British parents allow this to happen, because it certainly isn't true!

But we have witnessed it ourselves. It certainly is true.

Sorry, worded it wrong 

I meant SOME parents allow it, not all 

I have a two and a half year old and I spent A LOT of time in parks, every single time I go to the park I see a small child having a weewee behind a tree or somewhere in the park. It pretty much normal in the life of a small child imo.

They can't hold it in like older kids can. The choice is breaching some people's idea of public decorum or dealing with pee soaked clothes.

A friend of mine, who has a 4-year-old boy, really struggled to get him toilet trained. And when he had to go, she'd whip the travel toilet out anywhere.... carparks, Sainsbury's liquor section, petrol stations and yes, parks.

Now the travel potty has been passed down to me, and I use it with my own child (well, I have it for her. She'll hold it for 6 hours before she'll use the travel potty.)

Now the woman shouldn't have had her son wee on the sign, and the verbal abuse was unnecessary. But I do understand the desperation a parent can have when their child is now mentally receptive to using something other than nasty nappies and the need for toilet training begins. (If this was indeed the case.)

Where we live, we have fabulous Tilgate Park, which has only two toilet stalls near the play area, and as you can imagine, they're always jammed during the summer. Then you also have the parents who bring everything but the kitchen sink with them when they go out, so there's less room in the toilets then what there really could be.

If we were at a park or a public area, and there was nary a public toilet in sight, my child would use the travel potty in public instead of wetting her clothes. It's the only way she's going to learn.

A friend of mine, who has a 4-year-old boy, really struggled to get him toilet trained. And when he had to go, she'd whip the travel toilet out anywhere.... carparks, Sainsbury's liquor section, petrol stations and yes, parks.

Now the travel potty has been passed down to me, and I use it with my own child (well, I have it for her. She'll hold it for 6 hours before she'll use the travel potty.)

Now the woman shouldn't have had her son wee on the sign, and the verbal abuse was unnecessary. But I do understand the desperation a parent can have when their child is now mentally receptive to using something other than nasty nappies and the need for toilet training begins. (If this was indeed the case.)

Where we live, we have fabulous Tilgate Park, which has only two toilet stalls near the play area, and as you can imagine, they're always jammed during the summer. Then you also have the parents who bring everything but the kitchen sink with them when they go out, so there's less room in the toilets then what there really could be.

If we were at a park or a public area, and there was nary a public toilet in sight, my child would use the travel potty in public instead of wetting her clothes. It's the only way she's going to learn.

Thats awesome that your park has toilets! None of our parks have toilets!!!

But sometimes it isn't like having toilets at all, so we have to use other means. We feel very continental!

None of our parks have toilets!!!

Years ago, I was studying sociology, and one of the text books had a section about a municipal "housing project" in St Louis called Pruitt-Igoe. Included were extracts from interviews with residents, and one, I remember, said that she was fed up with people who didn't live in her block "going to the bathroom" on the landing on her floor. I remember thinking "How enlightened of the city authorities to provide a bathroom on each landing", and then the penny dropped...

Hi peeing in public seems to a problem in my area.  Just the other  day I took my children to the library and this woman was having her son pee right outside the library entrance.  The library has a toilet... I think it is really important to instill privacy is important when doing a wee I will let my daughter is desperate go behind a bush to wee when there is a suitable place and we are far from a loo but not right out in the open.

I'm in total agreement with LuckyCuz the OP. It must be quite a shock for many americans to witness at first hand the incredible behaviours and bad mannrs of some Brits which have,sadly,become part of normal everyday life.

It isnt helped because there arent as many public "restrooms" as there used to be. Local authorities will say it isnt in their remit to provide them. Meanwhile shops and stores prevent you from using theirs and often there arent any even for customers!

A little tip for americans...if you point out any perceived wrong doing to many Brits,the standard repost will be.."F*ck off". It is an automated response because

(a) They cannot often formulate a more measured response
(b) they have been so used to misbehaving that when someone highlights their behaviour,they dont like it.

I think LuckyCuz is British.

I don't think this is a US v UK thing.  I think this is a situation with ill mannered people, and I really don't know any Brits who would behave like this, so I think it is still a very small minority.

I don't think it is right to label this as a widespread problem in the UK, I don't think it is fair to suggest that bad manners are part of every day life here, and I don't think it is fair to say that most Brits will tell you to f*ck off when approached with complaints.

Vicky

I can't believe the number of people in this thread who need to "get over themselves"!