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Pregnant Mom Gets Ticket After 3-Year-Old Has Bathroom Emergency in a Parking Lot

And now she’s expected to show up in court days before her due date.
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By Stephanie Grassullo, Contributing Writer
Published April 9, 2019
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“Mama, I’m about to pee in my pants!"

That’s all the warning Georgia mom Brooke Johns got before her son, Cohen, was moments away from having an accident in the car. Thinking fast, Johns, who’s also pregnant and due next month, drove to the nearest gas station with the intention to rush her son into the bathroom. But a 3-year-old’s bladder waits for no one, and Cohen ended up peeing right in the parking lot. Next thing the mom knew, she was cited with a disorderly conduct charge by an officer, WRDW reports.

After pulling into the parking lot, it was clear that making it into the restroom would be a buzzer beater shot. The little boy’s tiny legs were no match for his urgent bathroom emergency. Under other circumstances, Johns would have probably scooped her son right up and made a mad dash to the bathroom, but her pregnancy put a wrench in those plans. “I can’t pick him up,” she tells WRDW. “You know, I’m not supposed to lift him.” Plus, the youngster is “heavy,” according to his mom.

Like any resourceful mom, she made the best of the situation at hand and covered her son up as much as she could while he went to the bathroom in the parking lot. But it didn’t cut it for a local law enforcer who spotted the mother-son pair. Now, she’s left with a ticket which reads, “she allowed her male child to urinate in the parking lot. I observed the male’s genitals and the urination. Public restrooms are offered at the location.”

“Yes I should have taken him to the bathroom. Any other day I would have, but this day, I didn’t have a chance to run inside,” the mom says in a Facebook comment. “I am not a law-breaker and I am definitely not one to bash the law or officers. I did what anyone would have done in my situation. Peeing in the parking lot instead of in his car seat was a way better choice in my eyes.”

Now, Johns will have to sort out the debacle in court on April 30, several days before she’s expected to give birth. “Yeah, I could extend it,” she tells WRDW. “But I would rather deal with it when I’m pregnant. Not when I have a newborn.”

While many have flocked to her defense, others have shamed the mom for how the events panned out. “Instead of bashing me for doing it, at least see that I at least covered him so predators couldn’t see him,” she says. “The only thing that was visible [were] his legs and his pee hitting the ground.”

To top it all off, Johns’ 3-year-old son was also the victim of shame at the hands of the law enforcer.

“He literally had my son apologizing to me telling me he was sorry [and] he didn’t mean to when I got back into the car,” Johns says on Facebook. “How does a mother shake that?”

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

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