How is this "big gov't in action"? This was a local city police force doing its job. It was not a federal agency. This is exactly what the anti-"big government" people want.

Hell I remember 58 years ago, we were coming back to Miami on that long stretch of road Alligator Alley and I had to go! There wasn't a store for miles. So the car was stopped and I went in the bushes. Hell I bet a billion animals that day took a crap in the everglades and not one got a ticket!

What's the alternative? The kid tells you he's gotta pee, you aren't near a toilet you can use, what do you do? It's easy to judge, especially when you don't have any answers yourself. It's not good enough to just say, "Don't pee here."

Nikolaus20 What is the chemical composition of dog urine and human urine? I bet that pole has been peed on 50 times today and how many citations were issued for dog urination? I don't like it, but I do know after 66 years when you got to go, you got to go. And a two year old does have to learn and will make mistakes. You never made a mistake in your whole GOLDEN LIFE?

Bless the little fella for knowing not to pee in his pants.Had he done that,there would still have been public urination-cept the police could have cared less about soiled pants on a 2 year old.

Another moron cop overreacting. I am surprised that the idiot didn't taser the child.

The little boy really had to go, and was going to go on a lamppost, and at that point, it was already too late for him to control, so all the mother tried to do was limit the "gross effect" by unsuccessfully redirecting him to a patch of grass.

When my 2 year old has to go, I have about 45 seconds to get him somewhere. And if it is on the front street light, you bet he IS GOING TO PISS ALL OVER IT!

Piss in his pants or piss you off. I'm going to piss you non-thinkers off everyday that I can. lol

Free any countries lately? lol

Yes, the cop over reacted. BUT, looking at the video that was attached to this article made me wonder. The boy can be seen walking barefoot down a brick sidewalk holding his mother's hand. Is that really a sign of her good parenting skills? Now I am not sure that I believe her story completely. No good mother that I know would let her child walk around in the city without something on their feet.

No, this is local government in action, and frankly, the number of grown men I've unwillingly seen doing this, they need to keep writing those tickets. Yes, it was an emergency. No, it does not imply criticism of the little boy. But fast forward the kid a few years and all of a sudden, we have a public decency problem. Mom should not be giving him permission to do this, she is supposed to be potty training him which means guiding him on the right place to do it. Would she have told her little girl to drop and pee? I think not. She failed to stand up to the diner but she's going to stand up to the police! She needs to take a little responsibility for the consequences of her poor parenting advice. Even if it had to be done, she deserves the ticket.

The most ridiculous part of this whole situation, besides the fact there was a citation issued, is that the store owner refused to allow a 2 year old to use the restroom!! Come on do these store owners really expect people to believe that they spend 8 hours or more working in that store without ever needing to use the restroom??!!?? What is the harm in allowing a little boy to use the restroom? To the people who comment that parents should ALWAYS be prepared for when a child is potty training and needs to use the restroom, what are they expected to do, carry a potty in their purse or diaper bag? Put a child who is capable of using a toilet back in diapers or pull-ups so that they can regress? Oh wait I know instead of the little boy peeing on a light pole, next time Mom have an empty soda bottle ready so he drop his pants and pee in a bottle!!!!! UGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is this world coming to?????

What MORONS! Apparently the man that said he doesn't care if it is a 2 year old or a 20 year old never had children. I am glad I don't live there, I would gladly allow a 2 year old to pee if he/she needs to. And obviously the officer didn't have much to do...... HOW RIDICULOUS!!!!!!

And how about that clothing store owner who DOES NOT allow their customers to use the toilet?

Robboy said two of her children told her they needed to go to the bathroom, but the store operators wouldn’t let them use their restroom.

Seems that basically telling children to go pee in public because "there is no public restroom" is ok........

There is something spiritual about pissing outside. LOL If an alien came to our planet and observed us, they would think that dogs are the rulers because we follow them around and pick up their $hit. I live in the country and feel sorry for you city dwellars.

In my area of the USA, store owners will often let pre-school age children use their "private "toilet. And "USA is Great", putting your kid back into a diaper or pull-up for the day does make it more likely they'll have an accident, unthinking soon after you put them back in undies.

big government in action!!!!

This has nothing to do with big government, although some want to make this their mantra for every issue of every day. Was the officer correct in writing the citation, probably yes...the department states it is at the discretion of the officer. Well...the article did not say if the child could be seen by the public, was this in an isolated area off in the distance from the street or sidewalk? All those things probably make a difference in the discretionary thought process of issueing the citation. And if this mother who is a social worker thinks it is acceptable behavior to urinate in public, she is absolutely wrong.

I raised three sons and there was one day when my youngest about the age of 3 really could not hold it any longer....we were blocks from our home coming from the park and I did take him out of view of the public street into bushes where he could go. So on this account I can sympathize with the little boy. But before everyone starts bashing the Police Officer about the citation, I'd like more details about where exactly this light pole was. If it was on the curb, on the public sidewalk, in a public viewing area, I agree with the citation regardless of the age of the child. IF this was why the citation was issued, the mother should be ashamed of herself, she could have taken the child out of public view to any little corner where he would have had privacy and not been in public view. If you think about it, how else could the officer seen the event?

Isn't this one of those times where the police should tell the mom "look, we can't have kids peeing on the streets, so please make a greater effort to get him to a bathroom next time. But I can understand." And then walk away. There are so many instances in which a simple interaction without some kind of enforcement is the best way to handle a situation. Just because there is a law does not mean it should be enforced all the time or in a black and white manner.

There must be little or no crime in that town if they waste time on giving a little boy's mom a ticket...

Stupid! Now maybe the mother should have been more alert to the fact that he needed to pee... He must have been out for quite awhile to not be able to hold it until getting to a restroom...

I'm surprised that the cop didn't tase the kid...

USA IS GREAT..

Do you have children? Have you never walked out the door and forgot something? Hard as we mothers try, we do occasionally make mistakes. It has nothing to do with being a moron. Or not wanting to be inconvenieced. It is just an honest mistake. So unless you have never made a mistake in your life, don't judge.

USA is great - she let him pee in a patch of grass. I highly doubt she would have told him to go pee in the corner of a train or bus because that would have actually left a mess. He's two. People are too uptight these days. I'm sure it wasn't the first time that patch of grass had been peed on...

This is a case of a city stepping over the line in an attempt to grub some money. When you look at people who intentionally urinate in public, you're talking about drunkards, bums, and bumettes. Problem: you can't grab any money out of someone who sleeps where they sh!t. This was in no way intentional; the ticket is a joke. I'd get even by feeding the kid some chili, have him stand on the hood of an unattended cop car with his backside to the windshield, drop his pants, and take dead aim. If they're going to give you a ticket, why get cheated?

As for the store owner, there are a few reasons why stores do not allow the public to use restrooms. First, you have the people who relieve themselves everywhere but in the toilet. Usually, it's a person who is drunk or who thinks he's funny doing this stuff. Then there are the drunks who pass out in the bathrooms; unless you check, you'll never know they're in there until you come in the following day and find them in the store. And the comedians who think it's funny to jam a roll of toilet paper in the toilet so it backs up all over the next person to flush it; most of the time, but not always, intoxication plays a factor here. Finally, there's theft. Person carrying multiple pieces of clothing plus bathroom easily accessible from salesfloor is theft waiting to happen, especially when the store layout causes store personnel to lose sight of where customers are going; you'd be surprised how many stores have bathrooms located in places where it's very easy for employees to lose sight of customers. Based on my 20 years around retail, theft is absolutely the number one reason why stores do not allow the public to use their restrooms; I can't say that I blame them because one person ripping the store off ususally rips off enough stuff to equal one or two employees' gross pay for the day.

Hey, I wasn't there when this incident happened; and I haven't been in the house with this family every night at dinner. However, unless we have evidence that this mom frequently tells her son to go pee on the lamp post or out in public, I think it's safe to say that she probably hasn't told him it's routinely okay to pee in public. If any of you have kids and remember potty training, it's hard. Two years old is really young, and it's no fun for your kid to have an accident in public-it's not good for you and it's not good for your kid. There are people I know or know of who have traumatic memories of potty training and of having accidents in public both at tender young ages and at not-so-young ages when they were not allowed to use restrooms or when they delayed too long. I won't argue about the necessity of a law intended to protect the health of citizens regarding public urination because I'm not a politician, but sometimes the overzealous application of the letter of even the best law in the absence of common sense seems to me a bit counterproductive.

Here's one officer who missed his Sensitivity Training !

One time when we were making our yearly trek up I-95 for Christmas with the family, we got stuck behind an overturned 18-wheeler. After a couple of hours of unmoving traffic, my 3-year old needed to go. We took him to the side of the road and let him pee in the grass. We couldn't go too far away, as we needed to be able to inch the car forward or all the impatient drivers behind us would be honking and yelling because, after all, having to wait a few moments to move those few inches would ruin their day. So go ahead and give me a ticket for letting a 3-year old pee on the side of the road. Officer, take me away....

Its NO wonder the Philly has a crime problem. An officer worrying about a 2 year old while some pick pocket is stealing someones wallet.

I agree this is overreaction. Yes, probably if the older kids did this but a two year old? Come on. Is it really that bad? More than anything I would like to know more about where he did pee. Said in a patch of grass but was that by a tree, near some bushes, or out in the open? More in the open could be more cause for concern but eitherway though a simple explanation to her by the officer and a warning, like Guest said above should've been enough. Obviously this was last resort option, she did try a couple nearby stores, and I don't think she feels this is the first go to option but really had no other choice. People that stick coming out of your you know what? Please grab and pull out. It will make yours and everyone else life alot easier.

USA is great, at least make an apples to apples comparison. Peeing on bus and in a park on the grass are two different things.

And the comment in the article about high traffic area and smelling urine? Really in a high traffic area all I usually smell is car exhaust and pertrolum products. A little bit of pee from a two year old isn't going to do anything, not to mention will dry and be gone shortly. Talk about needing a clue. Geez.

There are more important things to worry about and in the end this does nothing for police and public relations.

It is time

We pay the 'police' to harass us.

Are cops constitutional?

http://www.constitution.org/lrev/roots/cops.htm

Wow... really a ticket!?! I have to admit that I giggle when I drive down the highway and see the door open and some poor harried parent trying to block the view... most parents have been there at some point or another pretty common where I live. That being said most of the stores in our closest town (19,000 people) will let young children use their bathrooms - no one wants an accident in their store and most of us have been there with a child dancing to go. I think that most adults would agree that public urnination is not something that should be encouraged but there is a difference between an adult and a small child.

Big deal! The kid had to pee and had no access to a public restroom. It's harder for a boy to hold his urine too. He didn't crap outside.

Visit India sometime. Men pee on the street constantly.

I am the youngest of 10 and none of us ever had to pee while in town! A real mom prepares for these type of issues. If everyone starts thinking its ok, more moms won't do what they need to prepare. I'm sure she knows how long he can go without needing to pee and she should take him long before that time comes. Who cares if her hubby is a ob gyn? What difference does that make? None! If anyone else would have gotten a ticket then whatever!

Yes, she made a mistake, no this does not make her a bad parent, but yes, she should have to pay the fine. If you jaywalk, you are not a bad person, but you can get a ticket. If you let your kid jaywalk, even if done safely you still get a ticket. Both sides are overreacting. She did nothing really bad, as I have had to break the law with parents before, we all do, but she got caught and has to pay her fine, same as anyone else. Parents are responsible for their children at all times. Simple as that.

"Bless the little fella for knowing not to pee in his pants.Had he done that,there would still have been public urination-cept the police could have cared less about soiled pants on a 2 year old."

The cop probably would have charged the mom with child abuse-of some kind-for 'allowing" her child 2 walk around in dirty britches.

But here's something I'm curious about: would mom have said/done the same thing if her 2-year-old had been a girl?

From the article: "After eating at a Johnny Rockets diner five blocks from their home in a high-rise, the family went across the street to a clothing store."

From niece1964: "I'm sure she knows how long he can go without needing to pee and she should take him long before that time comes."

Exactly! Y didn't she have her kids use the restroom at the restaurant?

I once saw a mom change her little boy's diaper on a table at a fast food restaurant. Yuck. Growing up female, it was never considered "cute" for me to pee in public. If the story had been about a little girl, I'm sure the responses would have been different....maybe a little misogynistic even...

I have been in many urban areas and there are many businesses that will not allow you to use their restrooms unless you were a customer. If there are no public restrooms available, what do you do? A two year old is NOT going to hold it when he needs to go. Anyone who has been involved with raising a child knows that. Mom did exactly what she should have done. I was in Boston and was not allowed to use business' restrooms until finally a Ritz Carlton allowed me to use theirs. I peed like a king!

I can't believe the idiots out there. I feel for this mom, as I raised 3 kids of my own. Sometime a situation catches you off guard no matter how prepared you are. I just love how the "holier than thou" crowd would just never be in this situation (if you put their lives under a microscope, you'd probably find all sorts of dumb thing they do but get away with). Quite frankly sometime a public restroom is out of reach.

On the other hand, if the kid pissed his pants, would you like to sit somewhere after he just did?

One other point: the big government comment doesn't have to apply just to the federal level. More often or not we are affected by our local government. The cop could of showed some common sense, but it is not a job requirement (I worked for the Virginia State Police for 7 years, the vast majority were "cool" and quite reasonable, but a few were borderline jerks).

I am pro police. But this time COPPER, YOU ARE A JERK. Ain't no different than a woman breast feeding. Does this policemen not talk on the phone while driving on duty. This policemen must not be married, probably never will, and if he is it isn't going to be for long.

This one has me conflicted. I have a toddler of my own, who just turned 3. Sure, toddlers don't always schedule their pit-stops to coincide with the availability of bathrooms. Yet neither my wife or I EVER had an instance like this occur, because while potty training, we still put him in a diaper when in public until he was ready for his big-boy pants.

Of course, it helps that he likes privacy when he pees and would be more likely to wet his pants than pee in public.

Had our little boy done this, we probably would have just quietly paid the fine, instead of making a national press issue out of it. Seriously, how embarrassed is that kid going to be when he gets into grammar school and his classmates start getting on him over this. You KNOW it'll happen.

AG99,

I'm not judging her, but just to answer your question on what she should have done. She said they had just eaten at the diner. Whenever you give your kid food or drink, make sure they use the restroom before you leave. You know they're going to have to go very soon. As evidenced by the fact that another one of the children also had to go.

i say ticket.

she was obviously not in a range to protect her kid. what if it wasnt a cop? she should have escorted him to a private area in the least at that age.

There is a difference between peeing in the bushes and peeing on a lamp post in the middle of the city. I've been through the two year old "I've gotta pee right now" and it's extremely frustrating because you can ask them 5 minutes ago if they have to go and they say "no" then all of the sudden they have to pee so bad they're about to die, but in 5 or 10 minutes, their bladders aren't going to completely empty to about to explode. This is part of the problem with people today...all they're concerned with is themselves; they don't care about how their actions affect anyone else or society as a whole. First it's letting everyone pee wherever they want, next it'll be public nudity because people don't feel like wearing clothes or because don't want to wear clothes because it's too hot or something. WHERE DOES IT END!!!

A nuanced case that certainly tests ones moral judgment.

The mother requested use of the clothing store's facilities for an incontinent child in her immediate possession. The store's operators were obviously bi-phobic because they were afraid that the toddler might "try something." So a mother with a firm sense of justice would have insinuated that "it's very naughty to go on a store's product line" and to "certainly don't it" or "you'll be in big trouble." It would be even more moral for the child to pee on the operators but in general that's a decision the child needs to make for himself. Instead the lady directed her child to a light post with the potential to like totally confuse the canine population.

Because of her heroic attempt to secure proper facilities, the town board should have profusely thanked her for her keen awareness of social conformity. The justice system should have dealt directly with the two year old and his hell bent attitude on breaking social norms. Society can't afford to let two year olds get away with all the shenanigans that toddlers attempt to get away with. Only the police, and certainly not their mothers, are equipped to ruthlessly stamp out their precocious behavior.

Why didn't she take the kid to the bathroom to try and go before he left? That is what I do when I babysit regardless of age. I make they try and usually they have to go. I don't feel sorry for her. When kids are that young, you may ask, but you take them anyway before you leave.

I find it hard to believe there is anyone who has children that hasn't had a young child have a potty emergency or accident. Your child may have been accident free for months and all of a sudden really has to go. Besides you don't know that she did not have her child pee the last time they were at a place with an available potty. I don't agree that any time a young kid has to pee they should just pull down their pants and go. However I would rather have the kid pee on the street than in his pants if it is an honest emergency. The child would not even have remembered it if it had not been made a big deal out of.

If only we all could be as perfect parents as USA IS GREAT. The world would be free of public urination and there would be no mom EVER caught unprepared! *wink, wink

Really? Nothing better to do? I have had 4 kids and there is a about a year's time span after they finally out of diapers that all of a sudden they have to GO. I have been in small stores that don't have a public restroom and are kind enough, but I have had to race them to a larger store before and pray we make it. It is evening-they are walking, no place to go and it makes perfect sense at THAT age. Doesn't happen often, but I think most parents have been there-done that. Older kids and ADULTS are a different story. However, ever been on a long drive in the middle of no where?

How many kids do we make go before we leave the house and it doesn't matter or like the other mom said-leaving a place and ask if anyone has to go? NO!

How is a dog pissing on the lamp post acceptable, but a 2 year old doing the same not? There is certainly no shortage of self righteous jack@sses on this forum.

Kids should have went to toilet before leaving restaurant.

Sure do not want her kids in my swimming pool !

Potty train kids and then perhaps you can make intelligent comments.

@ cameron ford.... yea police doing they job. at the same time a moron was passing in a left turn only lane through a school zone doing 60 mph but that was ok lets put that little devil in prison for peeing on the city owned sign.yea we know all the businesses in the area only let customers use they toilet but that is no excuse he should have held it till he got home. that was or should have been a capitol offense.the nerve of some people. we should just put all 2 year olds in prison yea that's it problem solved. lol i hope my sarcasm didn't offend anyone but things like this get under my skin.

Just go back to the restaurant you ate in - it was just across the street!

I'll bet very few of you are actually parents considering some of the comments. It doesn't say how LONG they were at the store across the street, how busy the street was, or many other details. In other words, she may well have had the little boy stop by the restroom before they left and stayed longer in the clothing store than she expected, or perhaps the little boy drank a lot at dinner. Two year olds don't have very big bladders as a rule (Do I really have to spell this out for you guys?) Or maybe she had not expected to make a stop on the way home and someone else in the family had wanted to run in "quickly" or something. Someone asked why they didn't just go back across the street to the restaurant; but we don't know how large or how busy the street was, if there was a strip mall or something like that or any other details. I have no idea if any of these things happened or not-I'm just mentioning possibilities for why a "good" mom might not be prepared for a potty training emergency at a clothing store right across the street from a restaurant after going to dinner. Basically, I really, really doubt she wanted to make a point of having her son avoid an available restroom and pee on the grass instead. Those of you who are parents, are you all so perfect that your kids never had an accident or were caught with no available restroom in their lives-particularly during potty training? Are you better than every other parent or maybe just lucky? (Or maybe your kids were too ashamed to tell you if they ever had an accident if you demanded that much perfection.)

The pig that gave the ticket needs to be FIRED!!!.

I wouldn't necessarily fire the cop, but maybe he does need to be laid off. If there aren't any more important things to be doing than this, there are too many cops. Now his salary is a waste of taxpayers' money, and now the taxpayer is footing the bill for the judge's time to listen to this trivia. It's just a stupid as New York City wasting everyone's time and taxpayers' money on their controversy/ban on 20 ounce over 16 ounce soda drinks. Cities everywhere are very short on money-and here we see why.

At the very end of the video, you can see going down the street in the background, a horse drawn carriage. I played it a couple times and it isn't real clear. It appears as though there may be a "capture" device on the carraige to catch solid waste, that isn't real clear, but it does look pretty clear, that when the horse pees, it's going right on to the street. Try explaining to a two year old why it is OK for a horse to dump a couple quarts of urine on the street, but he's breaking the law.

A discussion with the mother and the child may have been appropriate, but writing the ticket seems extreme. You have to wonder how that little kid will look at police officers in the future. To him I'm sure he was just doing what he had to do and may have even been proud of himself for not peeing in his pants. Nice way to imprint some negative impressions about law enforcement on a young child. There was an opportunity for a good little lesson to have taken place, but writing a $50 ticket for a two year old, really seems extreme. When a young child like this is going through potty training, just getting them to recognize that they have to go is the first step and after holding it for a bit, they get very focused on just getting the job done without wetting themselves. The cop should have used a little discretion here.

James Riggio Sr and Laura Burger are obviously teabagger Romney backer dolts!

lol Sounds like something my nephew would do.

It was just an accident, that's all. They happen and anyone who is a parent and isn't a control freak whack job knows accidents happen.

Nikolaus20 You are just looking for a fight. Work with a vet or in a horse stable and you will soon see what cat, dog and horse urine really smells like as all those areas are closed in. There are parts of NYC that are open toilets because bums use it as their bathrooms day after day and they are closed in and hidden from view. In back of Grand Central Station there is a bums area and it smells to high heaven. That little boy has a bladder smaller than a German Shepherd's and it was an ACCIDENT! The mother asked to use the store's restroom and was DENIED! She was hurrying to get back to the diner when the child couldn't hold it. You would have like it better that he peed in his pants and it then went down on the sidewalk????? I guess you are in favor of that woman professor who deliberately breast feed her baby in the class room?

How are you going to teach a two year old who has just been denied the use of a bath room discretion? Your ideas run along dictatorship and stupidity. This case is the exception instead of the norm that is why it is a story! What stupidity both you and the cop. The story revolves around a store that refused to let a child use the rest room. In all my stores, the clients who need to use the rest rooms are escorted to the back of the store and they are escorted back to the front of the store for two reasons, they don't get lost or get sticky fingers. The apparel store DID NOT ALLOW THE BOY TO USE THE TOILET! Can't you read. The mother just didn't say to the boy go take a pee on the pole!

And don't lie, you haven't seen a 2 year old take a pee on a pole for 20 years, you may have seen homeless and bums do as I have seen them do it in NYC for over 40 years. When they had closed in telephone booths, they always stank.

What the @!$%# are you talking about habits, this was one child one time. You have a paranoia about this. You probably would have gone over and slapped the kid or beaten the mother!

You might try learning the English language first and you wouldn't be laughed at. The word caveat means a warning or caution; admonition.

She got the admonition by getting the ticket.

What would you have liked better, her being shot at dawn or having social services take away the child?

If you had the sense to read the article and comprehend it, you would have read and understand that the child broke away from the mother and peed on the pole( probably imitating a dog) instead of peeing on the grassy area.

Lets say there is a law against littering and you are walking reading a newspaper and a sudden strong gust of wind comes up and tears the paper from your hands. You are 100% guilty of littering and you get a ticket. Afterall, you are an adult, you should have anticipated on that windy day, such a happening and you have to pay the fine. NO EXCUSES NOW YOU LITTERED!

Well, she could have let the kid pee on the floor of the clothing store for refusing to let them use the toilet and then left. Hopefully she never shops there again.

As for the peeing on a street light thing...yeah, really not cool with that, particularly since she told him to use the grass, but the kid is only 2. I'm not sure the situation really warranted a ticket.

I don't even have kids and can completely see that this could happen. This is complete bologna. I'm sure the judge will simply drop the charge. Just sucks that she has to waste her time even going to the courts. I just hope she doesn't bring her little boy who has another accident on the judges robe.

If the officer saw a dog taking a pee would he ticket the owner?

No need for ticket.... or jail. That's what TASERs are for.....

Ofcourse1: The cop would not fine the owner for urinating but in some cities you can be cited for not picking up your dogs @!$%#.

How is this "big gov't in action"? This was a local city police force doing its job

It is big government in action. Whenever government, local or national, overreaches it is 'big'.

Maybe the best course of action would have been for the cop to just issue a warning. the mom could have made a mental note to bring the pull ups next time, the cop would not have to be labeled a douche bag, and everyone could be on their way. Everyone here could have done a better job thinking this thru except the 2-year old. He just didn't know any better. Case closed.

For those comparing this to adults peeing - it's not the same. Adults know better and can control their faculties longer. Apples and oranges.

My sons are 2 and 3 and if they gotta go, they gotta go. It is a baby learning to use the potty and there will be accidents. Actually, I commend the little guy for NOT peeing on himself and knowing to hold it and tell mommy! I would have let my son pee in the bushes or something. Cop had nothing better to do . I would fight the citation if I were her.

And there you go. Well said!

Chas01c,

Not apples and oranges. You are responsible for your child. What he did is not a big deal, but it is illegal, so the small fine is justified.

Tina, you can fight it and think that you are an except to the rules, but you are not. Children mess up all the time, and the parents are responsible. It makes neither party bad, but you are still responsible for it, plain and simple.

This child, his Mother and his Father and both Grandparents should be locked up for at least one week and fined one thousand dollars each for allowing (perhaps promoting) this kid to pee in the street.

My gawd, this is America… land of the Free, Home of the Brave and this sort of street desecration, this urinating on the freedoms we all enjoy must be stopped. Further this boys picture should be posted on every street corner, every bus, every taxi cab and on certain bill boards around the city explaining this indecent, criminal and destructive act will not be tolerated by clear thinking, honest Americans.

It is this sort of behavior which has brought America to her knees.

Not the fools (535 of them) stinking up DC. Not the fraud, the destroyer in the Oval Office, not the bogus and worthless so called Justice Department who routinely fails to meet their obligations, not the criminals in the State Department giving away money to our enemies for a ten percent 'kick back.

Oh no, it is people like this boy and his Mom who are tearing down the fabric of the Nation, people like this are simply scoff laws and do not care one iota about the sanitation of this Nation.

Thank heaven for the brave men and women who labor in the Congress for all of us. Who regularly eat their bean soup, side salads and plot against US, the American Public, who after hearing their lies, their boasts, their claims of honesty, integrity gave approval for them to be seated and begin their career of a lifelong sinecure in Congress and then a pay check for the rest of their lives when they leave Congress.

Yessir, these folks are working ,,, but not for us. Otherwise how do you explain the condition of this Nation?

I hope the courts will be harsh as hell on this kid, his Mom, his Dad and Grandparents as well.

That is the only way America will be free again.

CHOKE. PUKE.

Save us God, save US please?

The city has too many cops if they have time for this kind of foolishness. And of course they don't cite homeless people for the same thing, homeless people don't have any money to pay the fine. If this mom looked like she had no means to pay a fine she wouldn't have been cited either!

Urine has natural ammonia and other nutrients beneficial to plants. The urine in the grass benefits the grass. Farmers spend considerable money on anhydrous ammonia to add ammonia to the soil.

Old dog47 is so right. This lady looks like someone the cop can make some money from.

The half dozen old guys who meet for coffee and politics once a week are planning a 'pee in' after the next weekly meeting. Look for the headline: SENIOR CITIZENS PISS THEMSELVES.

Pictures I hope will be available.

PS: No ladies allowed. Now is that sexist ? OMG how awful !

James is dumb enough to be a teabagger; that's for sure. First off, if mom hadn't let Junior pull his pants down, he would have peed IN his pants, and the urine would have ended up on the street anyway. Second, people's pets...and urban wildlife including squirrels, birds, raccoons and even the odd skunk...are peeing in the environment all day and all night. I'm guessing that James, Senior wrote this while having a "senior moment" of his own, and that he himself has likely peed in public a few times more than he can quite remember.

You sound like a complete fool

Rick, Timothy, have you two always been this stupid, or were you recently the victims of severe head trauma?

There must always be idiots that drag politics into every event. Sigh..

That's pretty funny.....

It's a good thing we have government to think for us and protect us from ourselves. Next thing you know they will ban large sugary drinks because we are too stupid to make healthy decisions.........Oh...wait....

I find it amusing they are so uptight about this, yet Mennonite horses can dump loads of poop on major highways and inner small town roads and they never have to clean that up or get in trouble for it. Id much rather my 2 year old pee in the street and let it get washed away than have to drive every day through horse manure. People have to clean up their dog's feces yet many other disgusting things are allowed to happen.... No different than disgusting people in the airports and stores, sneezing, coughing, and picking their noses all over public places. Because im guessing that two year old's pee wasn't going to infest someone with a communicable disease. Shew glad we are all saved from that plague and now will not become zombies.

This child, his Mother and his Father and both Grandparents should be locked up for at least one week and fined one thousand dollars each for allowing (perhaps promoting) this kid to pee in the street.

My gawd, this is America… land of the Free, Home of the Brave and this sort of street desecration, this urinating on the freedoms we all enjoy must be stopped. Further this boys picture should be posted on every street corner, every bus, every taxi cab and on certain bill boards around the city explaining this indecent, criminal and destructive act will not be tolerated by clear thinking, honest Americans

It is this sort of behavior which has brought America to her knees.

Not the fools (535 of them) stinking up DC. Not the fraud, the destroyer in the Oval Office, not the bogus and worthless so called Justice Department who routinely fails to meet their obligations, not the criminals in the State Department giving away money to our enemies for a ten percent 'kick back.

Oh no it is people like this boy and his Mom who are tearing down the fabric of the Nation, people like this are simply scoff laws and do not care one iota about the sanitation of this Nation.

Thank heaven for the brave men and women who labor in the Congress for all of us. Who regularly eat their bean soup, side salads and plot against US, the American Public, who after hearing their lies, their boasts, their claims of honesty, integrity gave approval for them to be seated and begin their career of a lifelong sinecure in Congress and then a pay check for the rest of their lives when they leave Congress.

Yessir, these folks are working ,,, but not for us. Otherwise how do you explain the condition of this Nation?

I hope the courts will be harsh as hell on this kid, his Mom, his Dad and Grandparents as well. That is the only way America will be free again.

CHOKE. PUKE.

Save us God, save US please?

THERE I DID IT AGAIN. I publicly mocked the Congress and some archaic stupid law. May God have a good laugh with me on this !

$50 ticket. No one is harming the kid. Get real.

Then you pay it, Burns. You've been on this site commenting behind everyone supporting that mother, so you obviously have enough money not to work.

This child, his Mother and his Father and both Grandparents should be locked up for at least one week and fined one thousand dollars each for allowing (perhaps promoting) this kid to pee in the street.

My gawd, this is America… land of the Free, Home of the Brave and this sort of street desecration, this urinating on the freedoms we all enjoy must be stopped. Further this boys picture should be posted on every street corner, every bus, every taxi cab and on certain bill boards around the city explaining this indecent, criminal and destructive act will not be tolerated by clear thinking, honest Americans

It is this sort of behavior which has brought America to her knees.

Not the fools (535 of them) stinking up DC. Not the fraud, the destroyer in the Oval Office, not the bogus and worthless so called Justice Department who routinely fails to meet their obligations, not the criminals in the State Department giving away money to our enemies for a ten percent 'kick back.

Oh no it is people like this boy and his Mom who are tearing down the fabric of the Nation, people like this are simply scoff laws and do not care one iota about the sanitation of this Nation.

Thank heaven for the brave men and women who labor in the Congress for all of us. Who regularly eat their bean soup, side salads and plot against US, the American Public, who after hearing their lies, their boasts, their claims of honesty, integrity gave approval for them to be seated and begin their career of a lifelong sinecure in Congress and then a pay check for the rest of their lives when they leave Congress.

Yessir, these folks are working ,,, but not for us. Otherwise how do you explain the condition of this Nation?

I hope the courts will be harsh as hell on this kid, his Mom, his Dad and Grandparents as well.

That is the only way America will be free again.

CHOKE. PUKE.

Save us God, save US please?

THERE I DID IT AGAIN. I publicly mocked the Congress and some archaic stupid law. May God have a good laugh with me on this !

This child, his Mother and his Father and both Grandparents should be locked up for at least one week and fined one thousand dollars each for allowing (perhaps promoting) this kid to pee in the street.

My gawd, this is America… land of the Free, Home of the Brave and this sort of street desecration, this urinating on the freedoms we all enjoy must be stopped. Further this boys picture should be posted on every street corner, every bus, every taxi cab and on certain bill boards around the city explaining this indecent, criminal and destructive act will not be tolerated by clear thinking, honest Americans

It is this sort of behavior which has brought America to her knees.

Not the fools (535 of them) stinking up DC. Not the fraud, the destroyer in the Oval Office, not the bogus and worthless so called Justice Department who routinely fails to meet their obligations, not the criminals in the State Department giving away money to our enemies for a ten percent 'kick back.

Oh no it is people like this boy and his Mom who are tearing down the fabric of the Nation, people like this are simply scoff laws and do not care one iota about the sanitation of this Nation.

Thank heaven for the brave men and women who labor in the Congress for all of us. Who regularly eat their bean soup, side salads and plot against US, the American Public, who after hearing their lies, their boasts, their claims of honesty, integrity gave approval for them to be seated and begin their career of a lifelong sinecure in Congress and then a pay check for the rest of their lives when they leave Congress.

Yessir, these folks are working ,,, but not for us. Otherwise how do you explain the condition of this Nation?

I hope the courts will be harsh as hell on this kid, his Mom, his Dad and Grandparents as well. That is the only way America will be free again.

CHOKE. PUKE.

Save us God, save US please?

THERE I DID IT AGAIN. I publicly mocked the Congress and some archaic stupid law. May God have a good laugh with me on this !

I am shocked if you have kids, I have asked mine if they had to go to the bathroom before leaving a restaurant and/or rest area and it never fails that 10 minutes after you leave they suddenly had to go whether you made them "try" or not before leaving.

Absolutely correct hockeymom.

A.) She didn't tell him to pee on the lamp post. She told him to pee on the grass. Dozens of dogs have no doubt done their business there with no howls of indignation from the city dwellers.

B.) She probably did instruct him to go urinate before leaving the restaurant. But as anyone knows, you don't drink something and then dispose of it all at once immediately before leaving a restaurant.

Then you are a dope, my son never has to go when I ask him, but when he says he has to go you can count on it happening quickly. Besides who among you hasn't peed outside?

My nephew did that once outside of a Costco, he had to go saw a tree and went :)

Agreed. If your child isn't potty trained, let him wear pull-ups until you're confident he can make it to the next "training session." Public urination is against the law.

"Hockeymom"? "Hockeypuck", more like! What kind of a retarded mother would have her kid pee in his pants, rather than let him or her pee on the ground? And, at age TWO?
Would you require your child to wear the urine-drenched "garment of shame" for the rest of the day, Hockey? Is that a principle of your admirable parenting regimen, Frau Blucher? And do you happen to be the wife of the Kommandant Klink who wrote the citation? 'Fess up, honey. I just KNOW you've got an agenda here somehow.

I remember my son doing the exact same thing, except it was at a soccer game and he peed on a tree cause he had to go and he didn't want to pee his pants. Maybe because this happened 22 years ago it wasn't much a big deal as it is today, but the people who saw it thought it funny. No one got offended. I rather see that than the people who let their animals poop everywhere and just leave it for others to step in.

God with all the crime going on and keeping track of traffic and 77 year old grandmothers having a senile moment, the cop couldn't go and warn the mother not to do it again?

Hell 45 years ago, I was in Florida and parked near a canal and went fishing. A cop came by and asked me if the car nearby was mine and I said yes, and he politely informed me that I was parked on the wrong side of the street in a no parking zone and to move my car, which I did. Someone should follow this cop around for a few days with a camera and put him on youtube with all the misdemeanors and crimes he has committed. Must have been smoking too much marijuana or needed this ticket to make his quota for the day!

I don't believe you actually have children, HockeyMom, if you can make such a stupid comment. The kid is two years old and still learning about his body's signals that indicate when he has to go and when he doesn't.

I hope you are joking! We shouldn't teach our chidlren to pee in the street, however, sometimes stuff happens. especially with small children. i don't care how prepared or how great of a mom you are, it is impossible to prevent every pee, poop, vomit, snot, or other bodily fluid accident of a child. and that is just how parenting.

and maybe police shoudl be focused on illegal acts such as selling drugs? domestic violence? robbery? identity theft? i am more concerned about real crime than a toddler peeing outside.

The cop probably should have just given a warning. The woman stated that the D-bags at the store wouldn't let her kids go to the bathroom their, so they tried to make it back to the restaurant. I think that it's impressive that the kid didn't just go in his pants. If it would have been an older kid, I could understand the cop, but not in this case.

Of all the things to be having a "real" conversation about, we are talking about a 2 year old peeing outside. I would like to congratulate the mother on getting her two year old potty trained to the point where he doesn't want to feel uncomfortable and wet. It really doesn't matter AT ALL what this family did. It's not political, and those of you who are turning it into a partisan debate are really reaching. Mom, I hope your ticket gets dropped and these silly people quit questioning whether or not your a good mom. I think your great. To the rest of you, this universal american sensitivity is, in my opinion, such a waste of your days. Rather than getting offended at anything and everything look for something you like and can stand behind.
Urination is one of the most natural things that we do. Everybody pees, and sometimes you don't get to say when. Maybe if the clothing store would have let them use their toilet none of this would have happened. Why aren't people outraged that a place with a toilet wouldn't let a two year old use it? That's the only part of this story worth debating.

Second that! A news reporter could make a story of asking the store owner why he didn't let the kid use the facilities. Before I shop in such a place (and contribute to their profits), I'd like to know what kind of people own the place.

so you think telling your kid just pee all over yourself is the better alternative?

Wow. We ALWAYS asked our son if he needed to pee. In fact, we would bring him to the potty and encourage him to pee when we knew we were going somewhere that a potty wouldn't be readily available. And it never failed that, 10-15 minutes later, in the most inopportune circumstance, he would need to go REALLY REALLY REALLY bad. I guess I'm just a horrible mother because I wasn't always prepared for every circumstance. Must be nice to be a perfect parent....

HAAAAAAAAAAA, Pee I say Pee! You pee when I say and where I say!

Is our society totally nuts?

Again, why do we have to be so damned polarized. What she did does not make her a bad parent at all. Her kid made a mistake, thats it. But guess what, parents have to pay for their childrens' mistakes. If he pissed in a store, the mom would have to pay for the cleaning. Its not a big deal, but neither is her getting a ticket.

Im 23 and I still pee on trees and the like when I need to. But if I get caught, I have to pay the ticket. Its really that simple.

Mom shouldn't have suggested public urination, potty training is more than 'not in your pants' it's doing the business in appropriate places. As one commenter said, take the child out of view if he can't hold it. Sometimes you do gotta go. when I was a young girl, I went in a cemetery by a deserted country road at about 4 in the morning. Believe me, I really had to go or else no way! (lol) Sombody asked why it was necessary for the artcle to mention the occupations of the parents? Because that would have changed public opinion, wouldn't it? If the mom had been underemployed or unemployed, alot of the commenters would be calling her white trash and assuming she was on welfare.

Maybe the store owner doesn't let anyone use the bathroom because that is where the money and merchandise is kept. I've worked at stores where customers are not allowed in the back. If you don't like it don't shop there. That is no reason to hate on a store because they don't let you use the bathroom. Wow, folks are really killing me with the blame the shop owner. Ask why the mother didn't go to the bathroom BEFORE she left the restaurant to have him try to pee.

then she'll be arrested for mailing bodily fluids labeled hazardous waste... he's a baby. and the lady who said he should pee on himself... duh! have you ever peed on yourself??? at least his urine was in one spot. pee in your pants and everwhere you go it reeks. and it's uncomfortable.

If only urine was the issue when it came to a police's horse...

I think they have to wear horse diapers.

LOL...when ya gotta go, ya gotta GO!

Right on Jano. common sense is a disappearing trait anymore.

Ah ah, yes they should spend their time giving pigeons tickets.

Passed a pickup along side the road with 2 older gentlemen taking a tinkle. Knowing full well that old guys living in the sticks always have to wave back, of course I had to honk and wave (cause I'm an azz like that sometimes.)

This child, his Mother and his Father and both Grandparents should be locked up for at least one week and fined one thousand dollars each for allowing (perhaps promoting) this kid to pee in the street.

My gawd, this is America… land of the Free, Home of the Brave and this sort of street desecration, this urinating on the freedoms we all enjoy must be stopped. Further this boys picture should be posted on every street corner, every bus, every taxi cab and on certain bill boards around the city explaining this indecent, criminal and destructive act will not be tolerated by clear thinking, honest Americans

It is this sort of behavior which has brought America to her knees.

Not the fools (535 of them) stinking up DC. Not the fraud, the destroyer in the Oval Office, not the bogus and worthless so called Justice Department who routinely fails to meet their obligations, not the criminals in the State Department giving away money to our enemies for a ten percent 'kick back.

Oh no it is people like this boy and his Mom who are tearing down the fabric of the Nation, people like this are simply scoff laws and do not care one iota about the sanitation of this Nation.

Thank heaven for the brave men and women who labor in the Congress for all of us. Who regularly eat their bean soup, side salads and plot against US, the American Public, who after hearing their lies, their boasts, their claims of honesty, integrity gave approval for them to be seated and begin their career of a lifelong sinecure in Congress and then a pay check for the rest of their lives when they leave Congress.

Yessir, these folks are working ,,, but not for us. Otherwise how do you explain the condition of this Nation?

I hope the courts will be harsh as hell on this kid, his Mom, his Dad and Grandparents as well. That is the only way America will be free again.

CHOKE. PUKE.

Save us God, save US please?

THERE I DID IT AGAIN. I publicly mocked the Congress and some archaic stupid law. May God have a good laugh with me on this !

Why is it no matter how harmless a kid's transgression, there is always some moron like you panting to delivery a sanctimonious, self-righteous lesson?

so us on the doll where the priest touched you, klondick.

were trying to offset the h.i.v rapist story.

Wait until someone p*sses in *your* yard. You'd have a bloody cow.

My boys use to jump out of the pool and pee in the bushes behind it when they were little...

NO peeing in the pool....

They also peed along the highway MANY, MANY times when they were small....LOL, BIG DEAL!

No I wouldn't. I have potty trainied two children and I know accidents can happen to the best of us. And to some of you posters-we are trying to get our chilren NOT to pee in thier pants so why the ridiculous statements to be prepared with diapers, etc that they can pee in? Seems awfully confusing to me.

Dave, I have a dog that weighs almost 100 lbs. If someone came by and peed on my lawn, I probably wouldn't even notice.

Jo-An, my brother did that also! He's now 20 years old and by no means a sexual deviant who pees freely in public. If you've gotta go, you gotta go. It's better than having the little dude pee his pants. People need to get over themselves.