No one likes change!

I am all for change that makes our daily lives a little bit easier. Life can be difficult and any assistance that makes things just a little easier I believe would be welcome by all.

  Some changes however I am not ready for. I do believe in gender equality but must we have shared public bathrooms? Twice recently I have had occasion to share public washrooms with ladies.

  I was at a Mall recently and the washrooms in that mall were large shared public washrooms for both males and female. Five stalls in a row and five sinks next to each other in an open area. A couple of ladies entered the washrooms only to see me washing my hands. They all took a second look at the door thinking that either they were in the wrong washroom or I was. I warmly invited them in informing them that we are in the 21^st century where everything is shared. One stayed and the other decided to go elsewhere.

  Like most people I try to avoid public washrooms whenever I can but there are times when it is unavoidable. And it is particularly at these times when a guy would really prefer to be in a bathroom with only his fellow man. Do we really need to worry about who is standing just outside that door?

  The second occasion was at a movie theatre. The washroom was men only, however as I stood there, along with a few of my fellow urinators, a female responsible for the cleanliness of this washroom had no reservations about cleaning the bathroom, stalls, urinals, sinks, while we were all standing there. I was glad the bathroom was being cleaned but could it not wait 5 minutes?

  If these changes are here to stay I would like to suggest that we establish proper public bathroom etiquette? Perhaps post the rules on the door entering the washroom as well as inside the stalls. Atleast it would provide everyone with some reading material. I am curious though; when a man is in a stall and there might be a lady waiting just a few feet away is there something additional we men must do or perhaps something we men must stop doing? Should I not, for example, be raising or lowering the toilet seat with my foot?  

  Maybe I am getting old. Perhaps, as I am told, I need to travel to Europe to see how the rest of the world lives. Both may be true, but I still like a mens only bathroom where a man can drop his pants and not have a care in the world.