How Old Is Too Old For A Boy To Be In The Ladies’ Room?

A mall in Texas posted a sign stating that boys over 6 years old should use the Men's Room.

My son is 6 years old and I think it's acceptable that when we're out as a family that I should be taking him into the Men's restroom rather than my wife taking him to the Women's restroom.  However, I would not feel comfortable sending my son into the Men's room by himself for a myriad of reasons.  So, in cases when I'm not with the family, my wife would have to take our son into the Women's room unless a "Family Restroom" is available.

I'll just cut right to the chase.  I think the only appropriate scenario for this mall to require 6 year old boys to stay out of the Women's room is to make available a Family Restroom.  But generally, I think it's inappropriate and was probably a poor decision for the mall to take a position on this issue.  Can you imagine the liability the mall faces if something bad happens?

Are they checking IDs at the door now?

What is the appropriate age to start making kids use the gender-appropriate restroom?

Well, it probably depends on the child, right?  It also depends on the gender of the child.  My daughter is 7 and she now generally uses the Women's restroom while I wait outside.  I can't remember if this practice began when she was 6 or after she turned 7, but truthfully, I'm not sure how comfortable I'll be when my son is 7, sending him into the Men's room alone.

It also depends on the location.  I feel a more comfortable sending my daughter into the Women's room of Bob Evans than I do of Walmart.  And I definitely wouldn't send her into the mall restroom alone.

And quite frankly, I'm pretty sure a lot of businesses are thankful that we don't send our 6 year old son into the restroom alone.

Gender-specific restrooms have been around for a long time, right?  And, I'm pretty sure that little boys have been around for a long time.  So why is this suddenly an issue?