So my son is 8 years old and was outside playing and decides to pee outside. He said he thought he could hold it and couldnt hold it anymore. He said he went behind a wall where no one could see. What would you do? I think it was wrong and sent him to his room, my mom says Im over reacting, that boys do that kind of stuff, lecture and let him go play. 

I don't think your over reacting. I probably wouldn't let mine play outside for the rest of the day. 

My little brothers would pee in our front bushes...we lived out in the middle of nowhere, except our road was a pretty major road (in those country town standards).

I think if he did it discretely, maybe not punish him - but just explain to him that if he feels the urge to go, to find a bathroom as soon as possible and not hold it.

ETA: I know I am not the mother of a little boy...and I am from a small town, out in the boondocks. So it was nothing to get upset about there.. 

I don't think your over reacting. I probably wouldn't let mine play outside for the rest of the day

X2 

Agree with rxpryncess 

I guess maybe it's different being "in town", but I don't think it's that big of deal. Is it weird that I wouldn't even be surprised if my husband did this lol. 

When I was growing up my brothers did it too, but I just dont want him to think its ok. To many kids play around here, and its not the country. We have gone camping and he has done trips with his dad where he has gotten to pee outside but thats different. 

I wouldn't send him to his room. If its a first time offense then I would just explain to him that is completely wrong to do that and send him on his way. 

I wouldn't even be surprised if my husband did this lol.

lol

Boys have no shame I swear. I have caught my sons trying to pee outside before. Boys are a different breed. I will never understand their lack of modesty when it comes to things like that lol.

I don't think you overreacted necessarily, but I do think it is normal for a little boy to be so caught up in playing outside that they suddenly have to go and don't want to bother going home. 

my son is 3 and i'm not sure how i would react if he chose to do this later in life. i don't think that i would be very happy about it, though! on topic but a bit off, a few months ago we were driving out of our neighborhood and saw a teenage boy peeing beside a tree....directly across from a park! my husband rolled the window down a said a few words...it was ridiculous! 

I wouldn't send him to his room. If its a first time offense then I would just explain to him that is completely wrong to do that and send him on his way.

x2 

Part of it for me is, sure he held it to long this time and had to go....but you have to learn not to do that, what happens next time he has to go (for any boy, not just OP's son) and he's not near the house, or where ever. He could be caught with no place to go (bad) or think no one could see him but someone actually does see. I just want my son to know its inappropriate. The woods is one thing, around here...for me...is another. 

Go in the pants or go in the grass?

I choose grass. My 11 year old will pee outside if he has to. 

I would of done the same thing and before sending him to his room explain why it's not ok.

Another side to this to think about is what if another child or parent did see him, but instead they do overreact. 

Go in the pants or go in the grass?


The point would be to not have to make that decision. 

Lol my dad and brother do this. A neighborhood boy was swimming in my pool and had to pee. I told him he wasn't going in my house all wet lol, so he went and peed in the bushes where no one could see. I don't see the big deal... Even I have peed outside during like a hike or something! (last time idid I was 10). I was always taught that as long as you go where no one can see it's ok! Lol 

I wouldn't send him to his room. If its a first time offense then I would just explain to him that is completely wrong to do that and send him on his way. 

x2 

I wouldn't send him to his room. If its a first time offense then I would just explain to him that is completely wrong to do that and send him on his way. x2

x3
This is not something I would have made a big deal over unless it became a problem. 

Lol my dad and brother do this. A neighborhood boy was swimming in my pool and had to pee. I told him he wasn't going in my house all wet lol, so he went and peed in the bushes where no one could see. I don't see the big deal... Even I have peed outside during like a hike or something! (last time idid I was 10). I was always taught that as long as you go where no one can see it's ok! Lol

All the men in my family love peeing outside, I don't know what it is, lol. I have even gone outside behind the bushes in the middle of nowhere before. I guess I kind of get it though, I will tell my son to always look for a bathroom as a first option. 

It's only a big deal because he is 8. If he was 4 I could see how it would be overlooked. I would keep him in for a few hours and tell him not to do it again. He is old enough to know when he has to pee, but as my husband would say "you gotta go when you gotta go" 

Well he is in his room for the night. After talking to my husband thats what we decided. If we lived in the country it would be different but we dont and we live right next to a park. Im more scared of him doing it again and a parent seeing it and freaking out and calling PMO or something. I dont know if PMO would do anything but its treading a fine line. If said dont do it again and him go play what is that showing him, if he does it all im going to do is say dont do it. We made sure he understood. Plus he can use some time working on school stuff with school starting in a few days. 

its indecent exposure right!??! isn't that why they have that law, so if someone were to see him they technically could call the police. Which i think is stupid but if it was on base i would say no but if it was your own backyard i wouldn't have a problem, my brother and dad always went in our backyard at my parents house. But he is old enough to feel it "coming on" and can take the time to go inside, sounds like a lazy guy thing lol 

its indecent exposure right!??! isn't that why they have that law, so if someone were to see him they technically could call the police.

Yes it is, and yes they could. 

its indecent exposure right!??! isn't that why they have that law, so if someone were to see him they technically could call the police.

Yes and if an adult was to get caught doing this and depending on what people saw he could have to register a sex offender. 

Oh jeebus people....at least he told you and he also explained himself. Talk to him about it, and let him go on his way. 

Oh and i don't think it's that serious. Just tell him why it's not ok. I know full grown men that love to pee outside. I don't see anything wrong with it as long as they are in their backyard and no one can see them. Sometimes i wish i could just pee anywhere i felt haha. 

Funny story, my younger brother when he was like 3 pee'd outside ALL the time. We lived on 40 acres so it wasn't a big deal. One time he decided he was going to pee on a hill he saw and my mom and I just started to hear him screaming. We thought there was a bear or cougar when in reality, that hill was a beehive or wasp hive or something and he had just been stung like 30 times in the penis. TMI, but it was like 10X bigger than what it was supposed to be. Most hilarious thing in the freakin world! My family still won't let him live that down. Lmao. 

I am probably going to be the unpopular one here.... I have 3 boys (13,7,5) and although I strongly encourage using the restroom I personally would rather any of my kids to use a bush rather then wet their pants.

In this situation I would explain how it was not appropriate and he should have found a restroom but thank him for being honest. Now here is why...#1. I never want to discourage my kids from telling me the truth. There have been time they have done something wrong but because they were honest with me I have let them off with a warning. As my kids have gotten older I have found that they can always do something and lie about. #2. Boys between the ages of 4-10 have a huge social development stage and spend more time understanding and adjusting to their peer interaction. In turn they spend less time processing action and consequence (eg wait to per till it is to late). Helping boys this age learn how to slow down and think is going to help them a ton down the road. #3. I would never punish any of them for wetting themselves. By punishing one of them for using a tree/bush is teaching them it would be better to wet their pants then to find a "quick fix." Like I said this is my opinion and probably a unpopular one at that. 

He didnt come tell me, one of the neighbor boys knocked at my door the same time my son showed up, the neighbor kid told me what happened and my son tried to explain over the friend telling me. So it wasnt as if he came home and told me what did. And we live right next to a popular park in housing. He understands, but we just want to make sure we wont have to deal with this again. 

GI Jane that was my thought too lol