A woman severely scolded a man in Dongguan, Guangdong province, recently for taking his three-years-old girl to a women's toilet in a shopping mall. Since many parents have faced a similar situation for taking their sons and daughters to public toilets, the Dongguan incident has drawn the attention of a lot of Internet users, says an article in Xi'an Evening News. Excerpts:

Toilets, especially those for males, and other facilities in shopping malls, parks, hospitals and other public places are designed according to the average height and weight of people. As a whole, problems such as potential safety hazards of displayed products in supermarkets and dirty toys in children's amusement parks are relatively small for children. But when it comes to facilities tailored for children, some of the problems can be serious.

Nevertheless, the Dongguan incident should be a lesson for parents: a father should seek the help of a woman to take his daughter to a public toilet, and a mother should ask a man to do the same for her son to avoid possible embarrassment. It is equally important for people to help such parents.

Some public toilets in a few cities, such as Beijing and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, have separate sections for children. It's time city authorities across China built more such toilets not only to prevent parents from been humiliated, but also to make life less complicated for children who venture outdoors with their parents.

But at the same time, parents have to teach their children from a very young age how to take care of themselves in public places such as public toilets. Such a lesson will go a long way in helping the children grow up into independent and confident adults.