Dear Men: The Airport Family Bathroom Is Not Your Personal Pooping Sanctuary

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If you’ve read my posts in the past, you know that I fly a lot with my two toddlers, usually alone. Jealous? Navigating an airport is hard with kids. I have learned a lot of tricks along the way to make flying a little easier. I know the snacks to pack, how to organize my bag to breeze through security and to put them in overnight diapers one size up because airplanes still don’t have changing tables (someone please fix this). One thing childless people don’t think about is the challenge of using the restroom. Myself, two kids, carry on bags and a double BOB stroller just don’t fit inside a stall. That my friends, is where airport family restrooms SAVE THE DAY. But they only save the day when grown men aren’t using them to poop in peace. Men, listen up: the family bathroom is not your pooping sanctuary.

I have probably flown close to 100 times with my kids. I can’t even tell you the amount of times I’ve rushed off the plane with a full bladder, both kids with diapers that are about to explode and found myself at a locked door at the family bathroom. That’s cool. Another mom made it there before me. “Shh, honey, don’t talk to mommy, she is about to pee her pants.” 5 minutes goes by….Wow, this mom must have 3 kids with her, that must be really hard. 10 minutes goes by….Ok, yeah, she is probably breastfeeding. I hated nursing in public too. Click! Finally the door unlocks and I come face to face with a MAN. A man all alone who mutters “sorry” to me as he rushes away before I can smell what he was up to in the family bathroom.

Men, stop being selfish. If you find yourself at the airport and you need to go number two, muster up some courage and go into the men’s bathroom. You aren’t pooping in front of people, you’re hidden behind a door. You know who has pooped literally in front of strangers? Moms. We’ve laid naked with our legs open to strangers, while we pushed a human and other stuff out of our bodies.  If we can do that, you can poop in a public restroom. You will never see these people again.

Family restrooms are for families. They are for an adult who has children with them. For children who need to get diapers changed. They are for parents who need to feed their babies. They are not for a solo traveler, man or woman, who needs to poop in peace. Please, the next time you are about to walk into a family bathroom, check behind you. Do you have a child with you? No? Don’t go in.

Signed,

A mom who flies with toddlers

 

 

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Kate Cortelyou
Kate has been living in Nashville since 2008 when she moved to town for work. She met her husband, a Pittsburgh transplant, through eHarmony (they were even on the commercials!) in 2009, and they married in 2011. James was born in 2014 and Anna in 2016. They also have two rescue dogs. Kate is the youngest of 4 (3 older brothers) and always imagined she would have a large family. That idea shifted once she became a parent! Kate is still trying to navigate being outnumbered during the days while her husband is at work. Kids keep Kate’s Type A Personality and need for Ultra-Organization in check. She has a sign hanging in her house that reads, “Let whatever you do today be enough” as a constant reminder that grace—not perfection—is what is important. Before quitting work to be a full-time stay at home mom, Kate was the giraffe keeper at the Nashville Zoo for several years. She also worked for Ringling Bros taking care of the animals. She lived on a train and traveled to a new city every week by rail. Kate flies back to Minneapolis several times a year with kids in tow to visit her family. If you need advice on how to survive air travel with kids, she is your gal! Her first born had flown 20 times by his first birthday! Her ultimate wish is that her family will move back to Minnesota someday. When Kate has kid-free time, she enjoys gardening, flea markets, decorating, margaritas, college football games, and days at the lake. Follow along with her chaotic life on Instagram: mrscort

1 COMMENT

  1. I love this!!! I fly a lot with our daughter. granted I only have one so it’s a little easier, but i feel the pain. I love when people look at me in despair as they see I’m in front of them in the security line, often moving to another lane to avoid being “stuck”. Only to stare in amazement as I power through adding my bags and stroller to the conveyor belt in 30 seconds flat… one handed… WHILE holding my two year old. Its either satisfying or sad to inevitably have at least one stranger tap me on the shoulder to say “you’re a pro!” or “travel a lot?”

    I do have one good news add here… they DO have changing tables in airplane bathrooms!!! At least I know for sure southwest does. The process is cramped and uncomfortable, but the table slides out of the wall! Glorious right?

    Now can we talk about restaurants lack of changing tables? especially in mens? because you know… my husband COULDN’T possibly need to change a diaper… or how about snotty fellow airplane passengers that are horrified to have families with small children on board… I have some awesome stories on this, one that made me fall in love with my husband all over again as I was about to go into full blown momma bear mode!

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