As many mothers of boys will tell you, when it comes to toilet-habits, boys can sometimes lack the necessary aim to direct their stream into the bowl. In fact, I have a friend who insists that her husband is the main perpetrator of the seat-splatter technique.  (Eeeek!  I know!  Gross right?)

Being the mother of two boys, one with impeccable aim, and the other a sprinkler/sprayer of the industrial farming kind, I have often wondered why we teach our boys to stand up to wee.  The first time this crazy notion sprang into my mind was after a nocturnal visit to the toilet in which I perched myself on the toilet seat only to embark on a slip and slide ride the likes of which I haven’t experienced since my visit to Water world some years ago.

It was not pleasant, let me tell you!

Surely sitting down to do number ones makes just as much sense as it does for number twos?  No? 

Well, it seems that Taiwanese minister Stephen Shen thinks so.  Shen, suggests that sitting on the toilet promotes a cleaner environment.

It seems that Shen is not alone in his thinking.  In June this year a Swedish politician by the name of Viggo Hansen, also submitted a proposal to the Soermland County Council in central Sweden, requiring all men to sit down whilst using toilets in the County council building.  Interestingly, in addition to the hygienic benefits, Hansen also asserts that sitting to urinate allows for better evacuation of the bladder, which is turn is beneficial for prostate and sexual health.

Some further research on this interesting subject (well, interesting to me because I am sick of cleaning up wee from the seat and floor around the toilet) has led to the discovery that in Swedish childcare centres staff actively encourage boys to toilet sitting down.

Of course enforcing the sitting down policy would be impossible to police, but it is interesting nonetheless that what seems like such a simple solution to a widespread hygiene issue would cause so much debate.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue?  Should boys/men sit down to urinate?  Why?  Why not?

Linking up with Jess from Diary of a SAHM for IBOT.