Local Parents Celebrate First Silent Wee of the Year

Finn Seabrook | Local Correspondent | Sutherland Shire Gazette

5 February 2025

As the school gates swung open this week, a wave of exhausted Sutherland Shire parents exhaled in unison, finally reclaiming their homes—and their bathrooms—from the chaos of the summer holidays.

“I love my kids, I really do,” said Michelle from Kirrawee. “But after seven weeks of snack requests, sibling arguments, and someone always barging into the toilet to ask where their goggles are… I just wanted one moment of peace. Just one.”

For many, that moment arrived around 9:33 AM, when the school bell finally rang and parents across the Shire ventured home to savour a long-awaited bathroom break in blissful silence.

“I locked the door. No tiny fingers wiggling underneath. No one asking me to reset the Wi-Fi or demanding a snack while I’m mid-stream. Just pure, uninterrupted relief,” said Laura from Cronulla, visibly emotional.

Dads, too, are rejoicing. “I took today off just to recover. I sat down with a coffee in silence, and no one demanded I put Bluey on,” said Greg from Sylvania. “I actually read an entire article. Do you know how long it’s been since I finished a coffee without someone yelling ‘Daaaad’?”

The newfound freedom has sparked an unofficial local holiday, with parents embracing the quiet in their own unique ways. After weeks of juggling vacation care, some have taken strategic sick days to bask in the child-free peace. Others have wandered through Woolies without being pestered for a Kinder Surprise, while some have simply sat in their parked cars, staring into space, unsure what to do next.

Social media has been flooded with tributes to the occasion. “Goodbye summer, hello solitude,” read one post, alongside an image of a locked bathroom door. Another parent shared a selfie captioned: “Just me, my cup of tea, and a toilet seat that isn’t mysteriously wet. Heaven.”

While the peace is fleeting—afternoon pickup looms—parents across the Shire are savouring every last snack-demand-free second.

As one dad stretched out on the lounge in glorious silence, he summed up the mood of parents everywhere: “I don’t need a holiday. I just need everyone to leave me alone for five minutes. And today, I got it.”

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