Let’s be honest, going to the bathroom can be a pretty awkward affair.

Particularly when you’re in a public place, at an event, or need to go really quickly.

And if there’s difficult circumstances surrounding your ability to use the bathroom, it just gets more and more problematic – as the woman in this story found out recently.

Read on to find out about the unfortunate situation she encountered in the bathroom at an event.

AITA Bathroom Boundaries

I am a 59 year old woman, in good apparent physical health.

This evening, I was attending an event, and I needed to use the restroom, as one does.

Since toilets in public bathrooms are lower than standard toilets, and I have had both hips replaced, I use the handicapped stall.

It’s almost impossible for me to get off a standard public toilet.

Let’s see what happened when she used the disabled bathroom at the event.

The first time I went in the bathroom, a mother and her 3 or 4 year old child came in the bathroom.

Both standard stalls were empty.

The girl began to bang on the door and tell her mother that she can only use the “big one”.

Her mother told her someone was in there, and she could use the smaller one.

Read on to find out what happened next.

The child then banged on the door and loudly said she “has to go” and needs the big potty.

I told her I would be a minute, finished, then washed my hands and left.

Later in the evening, I returned to the bathroom and had not even pulled down my pants, and in came the mother and child.

The child immediately bangs on the door, in spite of the other two stalls being empty, and insists she has to go now, and can’t wait.

This repeated behavior really got on the woman’s nerves.

I pulled my pants up, because I now cannot pee with all that commotion, and stepped out of the stall.

I addressed the little girl and told her that some people really needed the “big potty” because we have health problems and can’t use the small one.

Her mother told her to go on in, looked at me, and said “well she has to go a lot.”

No apology, no correction – and no peeing for me.

Let’s see how she felt in the aftermath.

Y’all, I raised two daughters and never would have tolerated this behavior.

I would have told my daughters to use one of the other available stalls.

Am I wrong for telling the child that other people need the big potty?

AITA?

Sure the little girl likes the bigger stall, but unless she has a genuine need for it – which admittedly the woman can’t assume – her mom needs to teach her some manners.

It’s one thing to prefer a certain stall, it’s another thing to bang on the door and disturb the person in there.

If she needs the bathroom that much, her mom needs to take her to a smaller stall.

Let’s see what folks on Reddit thought about this.

This person confirmed from experience that the woman was not in the wrong.

And others suggested a firm approach.

Meanwhile this mom was staggered by the mom’s approach.

There’s no way that this child should be demanding use of the stall over the woman who needs it – or is using it presently.

But she’s young and doesn’t know any better, it’s not her fault.

Her mom, on the other hand, should know better.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.