Maybe I’m overprotective or just plain cautious. When Tyler and I are out in pubic I never allow him to go to a public restroom alone. He either goes in the ladies room with me, we use one of the family restrooms or if it’s one of those one-per-person deals, he can go in the men’s room alone while I stand guard at the door.
But apparently not all parents are so cautious. Take the case of a couple in Iowa who sued a Wal-mart store because they say their 4-year-old son was sexually assaulted in the men’s room. The judge in the case dismissed the suit saying the parents had failed to prove that the Wal-mart employees knew there was a potential threat.
The suit was filed last year and contends that Wal-mart was negligent in protecting the child from the assault which allegedly took place in June 2004. The parents reported that their son was offered $1 by a man who then pulled down the boy’s pants and touch him inappropriately. The parents also say that Wal-mart failed to take the complaint seriously when they called to report it.
The law in Iowa states that a company cannot be held liable for protecting customers unless they are aware that a danger exists. The judge did not feel this was the case.
I certainly feel for the child but where does parental responsibility come into play? As I said at the beginning of this blog, I am either over protective or cautious. I would never have thought of sending Tyler into a public restroom when he was four. To me it simply is not appropriate. Too much can happen and I hate to think what I would do to some fool if they touched my baby. Tyler and I have had “the talk” and I feel confident that if someone touches him inappropriately he will tell me, but why risk it at such a young age? No, for me I figure he has at least another year before he can go alone and when it is that time I will try my best to take him to the family restrooms or to ones where only one person can go in at a time.
See also:
Protective Behaviors At Bath Time Are Lush
Sexual Abuse of Boys– Mebe’s Story
How To Ask A Child If They Have Been Sexually Abused