Philly Mom Ticketed When Son, 2, Pees in Street
A Philadelphia mom, Caroline Robbey, received a $50 ticket because her two-year-old couldn't hold it any longer and urinated on a street.
Philadelphia cops have a reputation for being tough, and that certainly was the case with Robbey. The Philly mom was with her three kids (all under the age of ten) at a Johnny Rockets diner when they left to shop at a clothing store across the street.
When Robbey asked the clothing store if her children could use the restroom, the store told the mother that she could not, reports NBC. And so the mom went back to Johnny Rockets.
However, Robbey's two-year-old son could no longer hold it and ended up peeing on a light pole on the street. A cop was standing nearby and issued the busy mom the ticket for public urination.
Outraged at the ticket, Robbey vowed to fight it, reports NBC. Surprisingly, the mom has gotten very little sympathy from the City of Brotherly Love. Critics of Robbey stand behind the ticket and say that the mother should have been better prepared. Perhaps she could have asked her children if they wanted to use the restroom prior to leaving the Johnny Rockets in the first place?
But moms can get busy and kids will not always let you know when they need to "make pee." Robbey said that "every once in a while a two-year-old catches you off guard." She then compared herself to the homeless who supposedly pee and poo in the street, yet never get ticketed, reports NBC.
A police spokesperson said that officers can use their own judgment and discretion in issuing tickets for things like public urination. So unless the officer acted in a discriminatory fashion or for some other illegal reason in singling out Caroline Robbey, the mother probably will have to pay the $50 ticket.
Related Resources:
- Police Fine Mom When 2-Year-Old Pees on Sidewalk (The Stir)
- Potty Training in Restaurants is a Bad Idea (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life)
- When is Breastfeeding Against the Law? (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life)