Limiting school bathroom breaks to 3 times a WEEK.

Cathy - posted on 01/29/2012

If it wasn't a big deal the teacher wouldn't have felt the need to introduce the rule.

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/29/2012

I doubt most kids need more then three bathroom passes a week, but I really think there's no need to make it a rule. Just let kids use the bathroom when they need to.

Is it really such a big deal?

Cathy - posted on 01/29/2012

If they start during class it would be optimal time to use one of those 3 a week bathroom passes!

Teresa - posted on 01/29/2012

Not if they start their period DURING class....

Sherri - posted on 01/29/2012

Marina even with a period they can not be disrupting class continuously to go. I pretty confident they can wait an hour in between classes to go to the restroom for their period.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 01/29/2012

Just keep in mind, it has already been said, but needs to be said again. Many fifth grade girls start their periods, and need the option to go to the bathroom when needed.

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/29/2012

I think that's dumb. Why do they have to put limits anyways? Can't they just let kids pee when nature calls? If a kid is being a problem and abusing the bathroom breaks then address it with the one kid.

Sometimes kids gotta pee.

Anyone ever go for a 5 minute walk and by the time you get home it's like a mad dash to the toilet?

Sometimes it just happens.

Sherri - posted on 01/29/2012

Kate we are talking about 5th graders here not first graders??

Kate CP - posted on 01/29/2012

Telling small kids to hold it like that is not good. My daughter is almost 6 and has issues with holding her bowels as it is. So to ENCOURAGE her to do this would be a really, REALLY bad idea. It could worsen her condition (she's already caused nerve damage to her colon and intestinal tract).



Kids who have to hold their urine for long amounts of time are more prone to accidents and to getting UTIs.



We're not talking about teenagers or young adults who have been toilet trained for years and years. We're talking about kids who may still wet the bed occasionally or haven't been toilet trained for more than a year or two. They don't have great muscle control and we're asking that they consciously hold it in for hours. If they're concentrating on holding it in, they're NOT concentrating on school work. This is counter productive to what the teacher/school was trying to accomplish AND it's dangerous to the children's health and welfare. Period.

Rosie - posted on 01/29/2012

sherri, i am a cashier, and i also have IBS. i can't tell you how many times i've been in the middle of helping someone and had to have diarrhea (TMI, i don't care, lol). of course i've had to wait the whole time until my line was done, or until somebody else was free to relieve me. it sucks, yes, but i deal with it. but if on TOP of that, my boss decided to say, well, you just had your lunch break (it always happens about 20 minutes after i eat) to go to the bathroom, too bad. i'd rip them a new asshole. even if i just needed to go pee..i imagine how much pain i was in just waiting for my line to get done, and now you all think that's alright to do with a little kid. you seem heartless to tell the truth. it really is irritating me, how many people seem to think that having control over a little kids body functions is necessary, because some other little shit likes to play around in the toilet. like i said before, i'm flabberghasted and appalled. and now i'm completely done with this thread, cause it's just pissing me off that theres so many stupid people in this world.

Ashley=) - posted on 01/29/2012

Laura like its been said, my daughter is top of her class.Shes a polite well mannered gentle child.I have been told by her teachers but i mean i am her mom i would know anyway.She knows there are rules etc and is very respectful of them, and of others esp adults(parents, other mothers, teachers etc).She is far from entitled.

Now my problem is adults taking the biscuit and abusing there authority, thats how i see this case.

As a support worker with kids in a room setting, the kids ask to use the toilet and i am very well aware of those who want a break from there homework not for the toilet and i have dealt with that.I don't need to paint them all with the one brush, i use my head and deal with it without the big DRAMA.Once some of the kids, about 3 in the class knew i had coped on to there plan lol, they stopped.



You will find with kids of any age..at break time there drinking juice or what not.Don't need to use the toilet at break and find they need to go then during class.I was one of those as a kid..even at 10 lol.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 01/29/2012

Kel, since I have seen you say many times "this is not reallity, and CoM is a joke." That you just say what you want because you can hide behind a screen, nothing you say even remotely runs true in my mind. I know you go from group to group to (as you say) be hated. So, really, no interest in how you stir the pot....but thanks for your ever so intentionally controversial words. (not so much, please note the sarcasm)

Jodi - posted on 01/29/2012

To be truthful, until pretty recently, my step son was not able to control his bladder, not only at night, but day times as well. He really struggled. There wasn't a particular medical issue, it was just that the trigger in his brain was not working properly, and apparently it was hormone related. In the end, he was medicated, and it has worked for him - the triggers are now working. He is 12. And yes, I have seen him wet himself in public when he was 10 because of this. EVEN when we made him go to the toilet in advance before we were going to be nowhere near a toilet for an hour or two. It was almost like his brain only triggered that he needed to go when his bladder was about to burst.



So I am just saying, that while some kids have no REAL medical reason for having an excuse to go to the bathroom during classtime, it may not be able to be pinpointed medically.



I think that it should be allowed, and if it is the same child each time, then maybe it is time to address the issues of that individual child (maybe that child has some issues to talk to their parents about or maybe that child IS just a brat and doing it to get out of class), but I don't think that this kind of policy is in any way productive.

Karla - posted on 01/29/2012

I haven't read the whole thread, but my 2 cents worth is that this is a problem.



With young kids their bladder isn't so predictable, so they may need to use the restroom more often. And girls as young as fourth grade may be having their period, that adds a whole new aspect to the need to use the restroom.



The link did not mention whether the students had sufficient time between classes or some designated bathroom time, if they do then that would definitely effect my opinion on what the teacher is doing.

Cathy - posted on 01/29/2012

Is a 10 - 11 year old actually going to piss or shit themselves because they have to hold it for an hour? If this were being enforced for 6 to 7 year olds I could understand the outrage but surely by 10-11 they have some bodily control.



Realistically all the teacher is asking is that the children learn to go in the designated breaks between lessons and only go during a lesson if it's absolutely necessary. I'm sure they would make an exception for any one with a medical condition.



For those of you who feel the need to go 20 times a work... If you worked in an office and were about to go into a big meeting that could last for over an hour, would you not go before? Or would you excuse yourself every 20 minutes, interrupting the meeting, much to the annoyance of others? Unless you have a medical reason I would hope as an adult some people could apply some physical self control.

Karla - posted on 01/29/2012

Kel,

lay off the wine.

just saying.

Nikki - posted on 01/29/2012

"I don't know if you know how ridiculous this thread sounds but im telling you it sounds ridiculous and laughable!!"



Thanks so much for your objective view there Kel.....

Stifler's - posted on 01/29/2012

I think you like having haters to be perfectly honest.

Maree - posted on 01/28/2012

At the risk of all my haters (and there are many)telling me i am a judgmental bitch AGAIN..i am going to give my opinion AGAIN...and if,by my comments,anyone thinks that i think you are raising an entitled generation...then just to clarify....I ABSOLUTELY THINK YOU ARE RAISING AN ENTITLED GENERATION......



So....I am assuming that a child who has some NEED to take a piss every hour would be allowed to and would have more than 3 passes a week.The rule,i believe is mostly in attempt to get the little assholes under control and stop them from distracting the entire class because of their obvious "entitlement" which by the way i think is rammed down their throat by loud mouth mothers who find it necessary to defend their brats when they should not be defended...and instead should be pulled into line.



I don't think parents like to admit that their child is a little shit and want to bury their head in the sand and talk about how their child really needs to piss every hour...REALLY,do you want the school bus to stop all the way to school for the constant "pissers" ???? Cause apparently everyones child simply CANNOT hold it for an hour....OMG...what if they forget to go before school !!!!! I am assuming that they would just have to shit out the window or something.



The more of this crap i read,the more i am scared of my kids growing up in this f@#$#d up generation. Come on people,if you can't just let the teachers do a simple thing like make a rule...and expect that wherever possible,your kids follow it and make a point of going to the toilet at break times...then i dread to think what other excuses are being made for your little "babies"..They need to grow up and become contributing members of society one day...unless you are going to baby them forever.



When exactly do you think they should hold their wee??? High school??? Adulthood??? Never???



Some of you did say NEVER because apparently you need to piss on the hour at work !!! If i was an employer i would be cracking down on a person who did that....well maybe not cause i'd probably get sued for discrimination or some other bullshit.



I don't know if you know how ridiculous this thread sounds but im telling you it sounds ridiculous and laughable!!!! I can't believe the crap I'm reading and to the ones who are putting shit on Laura...I think you need to wake up and realise that by your attitude to this you are crippling your kids (not allowing them and expecting them to grow up). You ARE enabling them.....they ARE becoming an entitled generation. Not just by this but by the many things that parents in general are doing wrong (in my opinion). How exactly is ranting on about how they SHOULD go to the loo when they need to go...and saying the teacher is a bitch etc teaching them to show respect to authority figures. This sort of attitude should be expressed directly to the teacher(away from the child) whilst insisting that the child does as he/she is damn well told.



With attitudes and comments like this...i don't wonder why many kids are rude,lazy little shits with a blatant disgreard for authority.....I WONDER WHY NOT !!!!!!!!!! Why the f@#k should they do anything when mummy comes running to their defence claiming they will get a bladder infection from holding a piss for an hour......people need to harden the f#@k up and quit making excuses.

Sherri - posted on 01/28/2012

@Rosie my boss told me i could only go at certain times i'd freak out. there are so many things wrong with this, i can't believe anybody supports this.



I have had several jobs that I could only use the restroom certain times or only during scheduled breaks.....a bank teller, a preschool teacher are just to name a few.



Also the teacher in the classroom can't ever go during the middle of class. They also have to wait to go between classes or at lunch or recess time. 10-11yr olds are quite capable of controlling their bladders and if they can't by that age I am sorry there is a problem. Quite honestly my 5yr old is quite capable of controlling his bladder.



Heck are you telling me they can't hold it for an hour or so. Because my 5yr old has an hr bus ride from school everyday and has to ride with me in the car for 3hrs every Fri and makes it.

Teresa - posted on 01/28/2012

Yeah, I don't tell them not to follow rules. My 'pee on the floor' comment was more of a reactionary response... considering that I pee about a million times a day (and that's only a SLIGHT exaggeration) ;)

Isobel - posted on 01/28/2012

and Teresa, if your children are not entitled then you don't tell them not to follow rules. I believe I wasn't talking about disagreeing with the rules I disagreed with telling your children not to follow them.

Isobel - posted on 01/28/2012

no...entitled children actually ARE a pet peeve of mine, and I'm working under the assumption that if there were REALLY an emergency with a kid who wasn't asking to go to the bathroom 5 times a day, the teacher would let them go.



but I am actually intentionally putting off working on a group project by keeping this going ;P

Teresa - posted on 01/28/2012

My kids don't have a sense of entitlement. Never once in 6.5 years have I ever been called to the school due to one of my children's behavior. Never once have they been sent to the principal due to their behavior. This year is the first time either of my kids have even been in trouble in school (sent out of the room briefly for talking) and it upset her so much that she was bawling too much to even tell me.... her sister had to do it for her.



I think it's a bit of a leap to say that simply because I disagree w/ a rule trying to control another human beings bodily functions that I am raising selfish or entitled children who think they are above the rules.

Rosie - posted on 01/28/2012

lol, how is having to go to the bathroom being entitled or selfish? are you trolling today laura, cause this seems really unlike you? :P

Isobel - posted on 01/28/2012

will you also tell them to stand up and announce to the class that rules don't matter? cause in essence that's what you are teaching them. I've said it before and I'll say it again, THANK GOD I'm not a teacher, cause every entitled child in my class would be kicked out. (and yes I know I would be fired because you're not allowed to punish entitled children) and that's my point. I couldn't be a teacher and I don't know how they put up with it

Rosie - posted on 01/28/2012

i'd let mine if they had to and some asshat told them they couldn't go to the public bathroom.

Isobel - posted on 01/28/2012

OK...I think it's a stupid rule that we're not allowed to pee on the sidewalk, or poop on the street. better?



incidentally...I also follow these rules

Teresa - posted on 01/28/2012

Yes, I WAS joking... I did tell them that in the first grade after the second or third time that one of them came home w/ wet pants anyway though.

Rosie - posted on 01/28/2012

i'm completely flabberghasted that you all think this way. it's is a natural body function, not driving as fast as you want on the highway. i can't believe you are comparing the two.



i have a 6th grader, i know what he is capable of doing with his body functions. but if any teacher told my kid that they couldn't go when they needed to there would be a problem. i'm an adult and if my boss told me i could only go at certain times i'd freak out. there are so many things wrong with this, i can't believe anybody supports this.



i still don't understand the point of it. what does she think it's going to help? the trouble makers are still going to cause trouble in the times that they CAN go to the bathroom, as it does nothing to correct their behavior.

Isobel - posted on 01/28/2012

It is horrible advice and I hope you were joking...in grade 5 there shouldn't BE an emergency situation MORE than 3 times per week.

Teresa - posted on 01/28/2012

Well... I do have kids that had wetting accidents until they were 8.5..... I do tell my kids to follow the rules, but if they absolutely HAD to go and they were not allowed to for whatever reason.... peeing on the floor very well COULD happen.



My kids would be following the rule and it would not be a problem for them now since they tend to only use the bathroom during class time once or twice a week at most, but if it WERE and the school/teacher were not willing to work w/ them... that is where the issues would arise. I'm simply referring to emergency situations since I can relate to them w/ 3/4 of my family. My almost 4 year old is the one who will only pee once... maybe twice in a 6-8 hour school day.

Janice - posted on 01/28/2012

Rosie they were 5th graders - 10-11 year olds. I do believe that is old enough to go only during breaks on most days. If this happened in pre-k, kindergarten, or even 1st grade then it would be different because at that age children have less impulse and bladder control. They weren't in high school but 5th grade is old enough to know your body signals.

The average school day is 6 - 6.5 hours so even if the students only had 4 breaks they could go roughly every 1.5 hours and I think that is okay for majority of kids. I also think if a young girl had gotten her period she would take the breaks to go. I think that cases such as Little Miss are the exception not the norm. Obviously teachers must make exceptions in those cases.



Also there are plenty of jobs out there in which you cant just go when you need to. I worked in a daycare. I couldnt leave the children to go to the bathroom, I had to wait for another employee to come in. You better believe my boss was annoyed if I was calling for a bathroom break 15 minutes after my lunch. So saying that even working adults get to go whenever they want is not true.

Isobel - posted on 01/28/2012

I think it's a stupid rule that we can't drive as fast as we want on city streets and highways...BUT IT'S A RULE so I follow it.



because I'm not an entitled asshole

Rosie - posted on 01/28/2012

because its a stupid rule. like it said it's like telling them not to breathe. it's something they HAVE to do. just because something is a rule doesn't make it right. it cann physically hurt them, or embarass them if they have an accident. they're elementary kids, not friggin highschoolers. even then i still say they can go when they want.

Janice - posted on 01/28/2012

Laura I 100% agree.



I do think the teacher should have handled the problem differently. However, I think that so many children today grow up feeling entitled and its a major problem in the classroom.

Yes, all children should feel entitled to go to the bathroom when they NEED to. However, I know there are so many students who are nice kids overall, who would complete abuse the NEED to go. I have been in classrooms a lot over the past few years and kids will try to get away with everything. Obviously, this stressed teacher made a bad judgement on how to fix the problem but I just doubt that she is just some B!#@%, who doesn't care and is trying to cause bladder infections.

Isobel - posted on 01/28/2012

They can go 6 times a day, and then they have a chance to miss those 6 times 3 times a week (if they make a mistake in judgement)



...why, exactly is telling your kid to not follow these rules (or brilliantly telling them to pee on the floor..nice one Teresa) NOT teaching them that they don't have to listen to authorities?

Rosie - posted on 01/28/2012

i always like your words laura. ♥ but i'm afraid i don't understand how having to go to the bathroom is openly defying teachers orders. it's a natural body function. it's something they can't help. it's like telling them to not breathe, lol.

Isobel - posted on 01/28/2012

for feeling like they don't have to listen to their teachers



(you're right though, totally wrong word, I just should have left my made-up one alone ;)

Rosie - posted on 01/28/2012

enabler for what? to go to the bathroom? i'm hardly seeing where enabling is occuring?

Isobel - posted on 01/28/2012

Fighting such a reasonable rule doesn't make you your child's advocate, it makes you their enabler and entitler (yes I know that's not a real word) but this generation that thinks they don't have to follow any rules are being created by parents who don't think that rules apply to THEIR precious wonders.

Rosie - posted on 01/28/2012

of course there are those kids janice, i'm not so daft as to think there aren't. however, if another persons kid isnt' one of those kids, should that child be forced to hold themselves because of something someone else did? there is surely a better way to deal with the offenders without having to ban everyone from going to the bathroom. that's like banning everyone from driving because some people drive drunk. it's beyond stupid. and for a ELEMENTARY school teacher to think that something like this would work is beyond crazy to me. she should know better, and since she doesn't seem to, yes i believe name calling is in order. ;P

Teresa - posted on 01/28/2012

Now that I've read responses... What is a kid supposed to do if she gets her period (unexpectedly) IN class, but she's used up her bathroom passes for the week? I guess she's supposed to just sit there is class and bleed through her pants....



I can actually understand the 'point' of the rule, but deal w/ the troublemakers by dealing w/ the troublemakers. Who is anyone else to try and control another human beings bodily functions? What if a kid ends up getting food poisoning (or something less dramatic, but just as urgent) and it doesn't hit until AFTER lunch recess is over?



I hope there are at least exceptions being made to the rule for special circumstances.

Ashley=) - posted on 01/28/2012

Janice i understand that i work with kids everyday.They can be little rascals lol , however you can't paint them all with the one brush though.Which is whats happen here in this case,I do agree age wise some use it for messing from toddlers to teens lol.

Unless you have a medical condition i guess you are made to do as the rest do.I had no medical condition and peed a lot as a kid.lol...I feel its not fair on those who don't use the trip to the loo for a chance to have a break from their class subjects.

Teresa - posted on 01/28/2012

Without reading any responses yet (sorry, I'll get to it)... this is absurd. I pee every hour (at least) and have since I was around 15... yeah, I tried to time my breaks to in between classes and was usually able to manage it, but not always.



If my kid were ever in a class that wouldn't let them use the bathroom (obviously different if it's RIGHT after a lunch or recess break, of course)... I'd tell them to pee on the classroom floor.

Janice - posted on 01/28/2012

I really hate to break it to everyone but there are definitely 10 year old using bathroom breaks to fool around. In fact, I've watched kindergarten students do it.



I must assume that since this policy began mid-year that the teacher did this in response to a fooling around issue. Now sure the teacher should have called the parents of the offending students and definitely she shouldn't have implemented prizes for un-used bathroom passes. I agree that children need to go when they need to go. However, I think the name calling of the teacher is a bit harsh. Unless you have worked in a classroom recently you really have no clue what its like.

Rosie - posted on 01/28/2012

um, bullshit. i don't care what they think they are trying to resolve with this, it is obviously ridiculous. hope the kids shit their pants and pee everywhere for this fucktard to get a clue.



of course i'm overly militant about this, since all 3 of my kids have a disorder that causes them to urinate VERY frequently. i'd have this bitches head.

Pam - posted on 01/28/2012

I would remove my child from her class, what a b%#@*

~♥Little Miss - posted on 01/28/2012

My son gets to school at 7:30 am, and does not leave until 3:30 pm. Any time he needs to go to the bathroom, he should be allowed. He is only in kindergarten, but I surely would stand up and shout if this was to happen.

Sherri - posted on 01/27/2012

@Marina Parents need to step up and take a stand against shit like this.



Only if the parents disagree with it. I for one am all for it. Sorry but before and after class, during recess and lunch plus 3 extra x's during the week seems more than fair to me.