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Mom to Mom, Perils of Potty Training Boys

Posted by Julie on 12/3/2012 to Mom Madness
Public restrooms disgust me, so potty training boys seemed like it would be an easy and awesome feat.

But what happens when you realize that they think it's ok to pee on the playground, at a birthday party or off your front doorstep?

Starting with a girl

My first child was a girl and potty training was awful. I don't know why but toddlers and little kids just LOVE to use public restrooms, everywhere and often.

  • We go to the grocery store..."I've got to go potty!"
  • We go drive past a gas station..."I've got to go potty!
  • We go to a park where there's only a port-o-potty..."I've got to go potty!"
It's pretty much a nightmare. They touch everything, their little hiney's are too small to fit on the large toilets and the bathrooms are usually disgusting.

So we end up with twin boys and the first thing I do is teach them they can pee outside. *Yes, I guess this makes me a redneck or a hippie or maybe a slacker? But it's what worked, and worked awesome for us.

No more having to stop as gas station bathrooms, we just pull over somewhere semi-discreet and I let them pee in a bush.

Peeing in Public?

It took a while before I realized, or they realized, they could pee ON THEIR OWN, outdoors. I no longer had time to find a bush or walk them behind a tree. They'd just pee under the slide on the playground, pee at a birthday party next to the picnic table or gasp...pee right in front of other people and their kids.

So these I suppose are the perils of potty training. You have to take the good with the bad and I had to try and adapt my teachings to suit the fact that they'd be in school and you can't just pee on the playground.

They're six now and thankfully they're not peeing in front of people but they will still pee outdoors, they usually ask first though.

We had some real embarrassing trips to the park and/or playdates with others that involved them peeing in front of everyone, but I wouldn't take it back or change a thing.

Public restrooms still disgust me and I often wish I could just find a tree and avoid them.

How about you all? Does any of this sound familiar?
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Comments

8 Comments

Stacey Kyser
Date: 12/3/2012
As far as I'm concerned, potty training boys is hard enough and any pee that goes outside is less pee on the rug in my bathroom. My older son is better about asking before he goes behind something but my 4-year old has to be watched:)
Michelle Hoge
Date: 8/21/2013
Might need to try this my 3 year old still is not potty trained.
Becki Witherow
Date: 11/23/2013
What is it about public restrooms? My little boy isn't interested in going at home but has no problems going in public. It wasn't until college when I could go in public! ;-)
Mary
Date: 12/28/2013
I have a son, and we'll probably begin potty training in 6 months or so. I hope it goes smoothly!
Barnolds Barnes
Date: 5/11/2014
I hope my son doesn't want to touch everything because public restrooms disgust me too. I'll probably have to get some plastic toilet covers or something.
Amy
Date: 6/5/2014
It's starting to...I doubt we'll get very far this summer, but next will be full of this kind of fun, I think!
Ashley Seymour
Date: 10/9/2014
I totally don't mind the peeing outside! Just don't know what to do with potty training a boy! He's 22mos......my daughter potty trained herself at 18mos! So I am spoiled and at a loss.
Jenna
Date: 6/3/2015
Hmm.... I wish my daughter loved public restrooms. She's terrified of them, too many loud noises. Makes it VERY difficult to potty train when leaving the house. She refuses to go. And now I have to carry her potty seat and "ear muffs" everywhere just to get her to go. Holding a terrified toddler on the toilet with a baby in the carrier is no easy feat. Also taught her to squat outside for convenience. Is that weird?

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