Last night I got up to pee at 3 AM. It was dark and I didn’t notice that the toilet seat was up. I fell in.
This sparked a spirited discussion with my husband about who should put the seat up or down after they pee.
This dilemma applies to all genders and it depends on whether or not you have more than one bathroom, who uses it the most, and what you do when you visit someone else. If you have already resolved this, you can stop reading now. But if there are lingering questions, read on…..
The first thing is to determine the default position of the toilet seat and who should be responsible for restoring it to the default position when they are finished using it. Is the default position down? If so, if someone puts it up to pee, they should put it back down, right? Toilets come with a cover. That implies that perhaps the default position should be down. But if you don’t agree on the default position, you have to negotiate a solution with others with whom you share your bathroom.
These issues can spark arguments and conflict among friends and partners, and have done so ever since there was a toilet seat to use. Someone who pees standing up (ok it could be a woman but usually is not) has to bend over and raise the seat to pee. That takes extra critical time and effort if you are in a hurry. The other side of that argument is that if the toilet seat is up and you want it down, all you have to do is tip it and it falls back to the default position. Doesn’t take as much time or effort.
But what if one person who uses the toilet uses it many more times than the other person who shares the bathroom? Should the person who uses it more get to position the seat the way they want it?
And what if you are of the gender who stands up and you visit a household of people who all put it down, should you be respectful and put it down? Or vice versa? You use the down default but all your friends or people you visit leave it up? Is it merely an issue of consideration and politeness?
My question to you readers is: should we all agree that a toilet seat belongs in the down default position, and everyone should restore it to that position no matter when or how many times they use it?
Your comments would be appreciated. Please share with friends and maybe a solution can be found. Surely this is an issue that crosses most cultures, time zones and applies in any situation that has a toilet at all. Outhouses have no seat at all!