When staying in someone else’s home, we always need to get used to the fact that things are going to be a little different than they are in our home.
Our room might not be as big, we might not have access to all our favorite streaming services, and we may have to settle for a shower instead of a bath.
Most people tend to make do with their new surroundings, aware that it will only be temporary, and that we need to be gracious to our hosts.
Other people, however, feel the need to take matters into their own hands.
The in-laws of Redditor were soon to pay a visit.
Unfortunately, the in-laws were less than pleased with one aspect of their temporary accommodations.
While the original poster (OP)’s in-laws thought they came up with a solid solution to this problem, the OP made it clear that, in no uncertain terms, this was not a viable possibility.
Wondering if they were out of line, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where they asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for forcing my in-laws to use a toilet instead of piss jugs in my home?”
The OP explained why they were not willing to consider their in-laws’ solution to their bathroom issue:
“My in-laws are visiting my wife and I this week.”
“The trip was short notice so they’ll be staying at our home.”
“Our guest bedroom that they’ll be staying in is in the basement of our house.”
“It’s spacious, clean and dry.”
“The only issue is that it does not have a bathroom associated with it.”
“You have to walk up the basement stairs and half way across the house to get to our guest bathroom.”
“Before arriving my in-laws were complaining that it was too far of walk to get to the bathroom from the basement.”
“We are offering them free lodging, so I figured they would just have to deal with it.”
“However, yesterday we got an unexpected Amazon package.”
“My wife opened it and pulled out an strange plastic container.”
“I joked that it looked like one of those medical device piss jugs.”
“The joke was on me, because it was exactly that.”
“My in-laws had ordered a device for them to urinate into instead of going to the bathroom upstairs.”
“I told my wife absolutely not and that they had to use a toilet.”
“My in-laws are very healthy and able-bodied people, and there is zero reason, other than laziness, for them to use a device like this.”
“My in-laws arrived later yesterday night and we confronted them about their plan to piss in the jug.”
“They joked about the device and asked what else they were supposed to do, use a litter box?”
“NO, GO UPSTAIRS AND USE THE GODDAMN TOILET!”
“Now they are complaining about having to go all the way upstairs, and I’m pretty sure they are secretly using the piss jug.”
“I’m going to flip if I find out they used it down there.”
“They do not have health issues; they are very fit and healthy.”
“We have an open enough relationship that they would tell us if they did.”
“We also offered for them to stay upstairs, but the rooms upstairs are more cramped and not as spacious.”
“They opted to stay in the basement room.”
“Am I the a**hole for asking them to use a toilet like a normal human being?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community was somewhat divided as to whether or not the OP was the a**hole for refusing to let their in-laws use a “piss-pan.”
Some agreed with the OP, feeling it was presumptuous, unhygienic, and downright disgusting for his in-laws to use a “piss pan”, with many urging the OP to make them stay in a hotel:
“NTA.”
“This isn’t even a discussion.”
“They can use a toilet or get out of your house.”- mmmmm_pi
“NTA.”
“It sounds like they’d be better suited to stay in a hotel.”- indicatprincess
“As a 54 yr old woman with (thankfully mild) interstitial cystitis, this bathroom situation would not work for me at all.”
“But I would not use a jar.”
“Ugh.”
“I’d have to be damn desperate.”
“I’d reserve and pay for a hotel room.”
“When we do VRBO houses with friends, I book it just to make sure we have our own in-suite bathroom.”
“I get why they do not want to walk that far.”
“But still, you are definitely NTA.”
“They can get a hotel room.”- SwimmingBridge9200
“NTA.”
“I cannot believe this is a f*cking thing you’re having to deal with.”- HoneyCrispCrumble
“NTA.”
“They can get a hotel if they don’t want to walk upstairs to use the bathroom.”- skabillybetty
“Tell them it’s the toilet or a hotel.”
“NTA.”- Substantial_Egg_4660
“Holy f*ck NTA.”
“I wouldn’t be letting these people stay with me.”
“Like, you clearly can’t trust them to use the bathroom. nope nope nope.”- Flat-Replacement4828
“Gross.”
“I wouldn’t let them stay in my home again.”
“NTA.”- Turbulent_Cow2355
“NTA.”
“They need to go stay in a hotel.”- No-Assignment5538
“NTA, but get ready to flip out on them when they do use random bottles and other stuff to pee in.”
“Or the piss jug, if they took it down with them.”
“If they took that jug with them, there’s a 1000% chance that it’s actively being used and you won’t see or hear them use an actual toilet while they’re staying over at your place.”
“I’d tell them they can rent a hotel room next time; they’ll have an en suite then.”- Whooptidooh
Others, however, felt that the OP might have been overreacting, as they may not have fully taken into consideration their physical condition, providing that they would be the ones responsible for keeping it clean.
“YTA.”
“This really isn’t that different then using a chamber pot.”
“As long as they are gonna clean it themselves I really don’t see the problem at all.”- duowolf
“YTA.”
“They’re not ‘piss jugs’, they’re urinals & designed to be neat and clean.”
“They dump them in the toilet in the A.M.”
“How does that affect you in any way?”
“As for them being in ‘great shape’, have you considered that maybe they have trouble holding their bladders now that they’re aging?”
“They wouldn’t tell you that, it’s embarrassing.”
“Very classless of you to not just quietly put the package in their room & let them do what they need to.”- be_loved_freak
“So I have a camping portable ‘piss jug’, because when I want a piss in the middle of the night, I don’t want to wake myself up going up and down stairs to the loo.”
“Also, we have one toilet.”
“If someone else is using it, or it ‘needs 10 mins to air out’ then I have an alternative if I’m desperate.”
“It seals so no smell or leak, and I empty it down the loo and rinse when I can.”
“I don’t get why this winds you up so much? “
“I get you think they are lazy, but maybe they don’t want to be traipsing round the house in the middle of the night either! It’s a solution to an issue they feel is there, and better than pissing in a sink or out the window!”
“YTA.”- HealthyWhereas3982
“YTA.”
“Have you by chance ever heard of leakage?”
“It arrives for some people at 50.”
“To think that they are spry is ridiculous.”
“Would you rather they piss on your floor?”- Melanie-1431
“YTA.”
“Let them pee in the pee jug.”
“It’s not that big a deal.”
“People in their 60s often have to urinate more often.”
“Climbing those stairs kicks up your heart a bit and makes getting back to sleep more difficult.”-MarsRocks97
“YTA.”
“I’m probably the only one who thinks this lol.”
“Older men tend to get enlarged prostates, which means they pee a lot.”
“My dad is 75, quite healthy, but was also concerned about the bathroom not being close enough at my house.”
“He bought a medical ‘pee jug’ to use at my place.”
“I’m 44, and after having a kid my bladder and pelvic floor are definitely not the same and I know for a fact many other women who had children struggle with bladder control.”
“It’s just part of getting older, it’s not laziness.”
“It’s also a sensitive subject to talk about, please don’t shame them.”
“I assume they are emptying the jug and not leaving it for you to clean!”- GladMagician5611
Those pans were created for a reason.
That reason, however, was not to avoid climbing stairs to use the bathroom.
Perhaps the OP’s in-laws should consider first, how they will wash their hands with a pan but no sink, and second, whose responsibility it will be to empty it?
Perhaps after thinking that over, the stairs might not seem so bad?
Or they’ll book themselves into a hotel…