The Joys of Walmart Bathrooms

First a confession: I HATE public bathrooms. *especially* when I have a toddler in tow. Some bathrooms are worse than others obviously, and some I really don't mind going in. Like the restroom at Gloria's Little Italy -- clean, well supplied, decent design ... But I was able to leave my toddler with my girlfriends with whom I was lunching today rather than take him in a public bathroom. Again.

Toddlers do not keep their hands to themselves. They want to touch everything. They WILL touch everything. They don't understand "germs" or "gross" or "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA". Babies are easier; they are confined. Preschoolers do typically obey when you say "yucky" or something along those lines.

But my little boy has a newfound love of flushing the potty every.single.time. I pee. Which is a lot right now as I'm 27 weeks pregnant. He was working on potty learning, but realized it's much easier to use the diaper and then just flush after mom. *sigh*

I had to go to Walmart the other day and realized on my way in that I had to go. NOW. Thumper kept whacking my bladder. I plopped Little Mister in a cart and buckled him and headed for the "family" restroom in the back of the store since the cart would fit in the bathroom with me and I could keep my eye on him while maintaining some semblance of privacy.

It was gross. Not THE grossest bathroom I've ever been in, but it was pretty disgusting. And poorly designed. The toilet was really close to the wall, and the paper holder was just in front of it. Nowhere for my left knee to go. It was too close and yet not close enough to reach the toilet paper easily, especially given my currently expanding stomach. I finished my business, but every time I leaned forward to get toilet paper, the toilet flushed. Normally not a problem, but it was that cheap, thin crap stores use, and it was only coming out a few squares at a time, and Thumper was protesting every time I leaned forward, so I'd have to lean back to breathe, then go back for more.

When the toilet flushed, it was almost like the poor dude's version of a bidet. Not something I wanted to experience in Walmart, thank you very much.

D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G.

I came home and showered. And will never use that bathroom again. Even if I wet myself.