boys peeing outside - question

[CloudBee]

We just spent the last few days in a very rural and wooded area. I had DS down by the lake behind DH's aunt's home several times, for hours on end, and it was annoying having to hike inside just so he could pee. I tried to talk him into peeing on a tree, the grass, and a bush, but he was having none of it.

What's the norm? Do many of you allow your boys to pee outside on your own backyards?

He'll be 3 next week, FWIW.

[Deleted]

My DS loves peeing outside. While he doesn't do it any more he definitely used to pee in the backyard at times. We discouraged the practice, but there are times when it is necessary to pee outside. And he is always thrilled to be allowed to do so.

[dangerousduo]

My boys are all too happy to drop their pants and pee whereever and on whatever. They are now 5 and last summer was hell to get them to stop doing this in the front yard... I was so embarrassed when they did this when the new neighbors were moving in... oh and when the neighborhood garage sales yep right there in the front yard.... I never encouraged this... my husband thought this was a great thing to teach them... take my advice and don't start it.

[usuallylurking]

Backyard? Yes. Front yard? No, not if I can help it. Needs to pee while we're driving through a remote area? Pull over and let them go.

I'm not sure how you can encourage him to do so, my boys never really questioned it. Could you tell him it's ok, all boys pee outside, even Daddy?

[turtlegirl]

We let them pee outside in the backyard. Especially in the summer when we are swimming and I don't want them to go inside with dripping wet swimsuits. And we also let them swim naked in our pool if we don't have friends over.

[rootbeerfloat]

We're OK with DS peeing in the backyard. And when DD was potty training, she learned to pee in the backyard, too!

[Alyssa]

Having my son pee in the side yard of our house was honestly what got him into peeing outside of a diaper.  Before that he wanted no part in potty training.  The kid was 3.5, it was time to get him out of diapers.  So we took him outside and he eventually went out there.  The hard part was getting my little feral child to come back in and pee in a toilet like the rest of us.   We got him one of those little Froggy Urinals and that did the trick. 

[Brie]

Nope.

Perhaps my opinion of this is colored by the time FIL did it while standing right next to me in his front yard.

[ECB]

YEs, I've let DS pee outside. he's done it in our backyard but luckily doesn't seem to have a strong desire to do it a lot.

Whenever he has done it - out back or other places, I always direct him to a hidden away spot.

[lala]

I let my daughters, so I'll let ds, too. No way if walk back to the house in the situation you describe. They get a kick out of peeing outside and so far have not done it somewhere inappropriate.

[geek96]

Mar 8, 2016 18:33:56 GMT -5 Brie said:

Nope.

Perhaps my opinion of this is colored by the time FIL did it while standing right next to me in his front yard.

I haven't trained DS yet but I won't allow DS to ever do it. I grew up in NYC. I have seen many pigs do this on the train and wherever they want to. I still feel violated.

[Willis Jackson]

Nope. Never.

[undecidedowl]

We have only had DS1 pee outside during emergencies. He had no problem doing it but hasn't tried in other situations. I prefer it that way.

[Jem]

No, we don't do this. It's not my thing.

One time I passed a mom on a (nyc) street where she had her elementary age son peeing on a tree. There were many many people around, it's where a dog goes to the bathroom, there were restaurant bathrooms right there, etc.. I found it very odd. Not the same situation as someone's backyard, I know, but it made me think of it.

[cherry1111]

So far he has peed outside when there hasn't been another option, and he thinks it is the best thing ever. If there is a toilet nearby, I will have him use it.

[geek96]

Mar 8, 2016 19:56:31 GMT -5 Jem said:

No, we don't do this. It's not my thing.

One time I passed a mom on a (nyc) street where she had her elementary age son peeing on a tree. There were many many people around, it's where a dog goes to the bathroom, there were restaurant bathrooms right there, etc.. I found it very odd. Not the same situation as someone's backyard, I know, but it made me think of it.

I've seen this countless times.  I have also witnessed grown men pull over on the LIE in Queens and go to the bathroom like they are in the country.  There is a service road with lots of places to use the restroom.  I don't know why some men think they're entitled to go wherever they please.  

While I do think it's different from going in your own backyard I still don't want my son to think it's ok to go in an emergency wherever he wants.  I don't do that and won't teach him to.

[mrshandy]

DS only pees outside during emergencies, but not other times.

[6fsn]

We don't do it in day to day life.

At a baseball game with no other place I've taken my daughter behind the tree. In your case I would have just gone outside, but it's not part of day to day life.

[cjeanette]

I never allowed him to pee outside. H once let H pee outside at our neighborhood park over walking three blocks home during an HOA event. He took her into heavy woods first. I wasn't thrilled.

I assume this happens at scout camp but ignorance is bliss there!

[Ashley&Scott]

M has no clue that boys can pee outside, I guarantee you he would be mortified at the suggestion & refuse Iike S did. I have no plans to teach him.

[dochas]

In the situation you described I might, depending on how rural. We all pee outside when we're hiking in the woods and there is no other choice. I would never in a million years let him pee in our yard.

To keep the revolting NYC stories going - A woman pulled her toddler son out of the stroller, yanked his pants down, propped open the door between the subway cars and made him pee onto the tracks from a moving train. While he screamed in horror. The rest of us just shrieked in our own heads.

[arch01]

No, not unless it's an emergency. If we're at our house, he absolutely gets his booty inside to pee in a toilet.

We were in Mexico last week and on a long stretch of oceanfront when DS said he had to go badly. He did pee in the ocean and I was pretty impressed with his aim. We were desperate and this is definitely not the norm for us.

[lala]

I don't think all venues are created equal in terms of peeing outside. It's kind of a life skill to be able to pee outside if needed. No, not every day life but plenty of outdoor activities, road trips, etc. where it makes sense.

ETA: And who doesn't pee in the ocean? 

[moopoint17]

H encourages DS1 to per outside in the backyard because he's too lazy to bring him inside. I wouldn't mind so much if he just picked one spot and stuck to it, instead of peeing smack dab in the middle of the lawn.

[teatimefor2]

DS1 does not pee in the yard, but does when we are on a hike or road trip.

I don't encourage peeing in random places.

[brooklyn]

dochas omg that poor kid! I don't even want to walk between cars, let alone pee inbetween them. Poor kid is probably forever scarred by that!

[djc315]

Lol N lives to pee outside. I kind of let it go in the backyard (read: I'm usually not out there with him so he does it anyway). But i did have to stop him from peeing in the front yard 2 weeks ago, except you can't stop a 3 yo once they start peeing.

[bugandbibs]

No one should pee outside unless there is no other option. I will not be teaching my son to pee outside and it is not something MH does either.

[ginkgoleaf]

DS wouldn't ever do it until we went camping and it was either pee there or walk a ways to the bathroom. Now he'll do it outside if there's no potty, like at a park, but I won't let him if there's a bathroom nearby.

[gibbinator]

I don't encourage him to pee in the backyard no. But when no toilet is available it's definitely an important "skill". If it's at all a public place I do my very best to find a toilet, but sometimes you have to weigh the risk of wetting himself vs the risk of being judged.
He actually wouldn't pee outdoors for the longest time. He'd refuse to go in the outhouse too at dh's grandparent's camp and we'd have to hike up to their house, for example. Didn't matter how many times dh showed him how to pee in the bushes. So I started bringing his little potty down and setting it by our tent.
Late last summer (just over 3) he finally got over his fear of peeing on the ground because he had to - he couldn't hold it any longer in the car so dh pulled off to the shoulder of the highway, took his pants off and stood him by the car until he went. He's been quite willing to pee anywhere else since then (except the outhouse, but who can blame him?).