So we went to the Y for a little swimming fun and exercise, and I went to the ladies’ change room to well, change. As I was changing, I noticed that a woman had her son in there with her, and he seemed a little old for being in there - probably around 5 or 6. I was getting a little bent out of shape about that, when her other son walks up - a strapping, healthy NINE YEAR OLD BOY!!!
Lady, they may be your little babies to you, but to me, they’re too old to be in the women’s change room, and you need to WAKE UP AND USE THE PARENT AND CHILD CHANGE ROOM!!! (There is a changing room there especially for parents with other sex children to prevent exactly this type of scenario.)
Jeeze, people, once your boys are old enough to leer at all the naked boobies in the change room, they’re too freaking old to be in there any longer, got it? Would you take a 9 year old girl into the men’s change room to see all the swinging dicks?
(I know, it’s just human bodies, nakedness is natural, blah blah blah - I just don’t have any particular interest in showing off my nakedness to some stranger’s 9 year old boy.)
(And no, I didn’t talk to her myself - that would take a boldness I don’t really have. I did ask a lifeguard to look into it, though, and he agreed with me.)
I understand your concern.
However, i doubt 9 year old boys want to look at boobies.
When my son was a baby, I took him in the ladies room with me.
And theres another topic for a thread, why is it safer for a little boy to be in a womans room than for a little girl to be in a mens room.
But he got used to it, and i was taking him in the ladies room when he was 6 even.
No one had seemed to mind and I am sure he still was safer in the womans room with me.
He is 9 now and does go in mens rooms, but last summer when we went to the pool, he did come in the female changing room, mainly becasue he already had on his suit as did I, all i needed to do was take off my pants I was wearing over my suit and use the locker.
We were the first ones in there and saw nothing.
I hear you. I was once in a locker room when a guy brought his young daughter in. The girl was probably about 5 or 6. In other words, not an infant.
I have no problem with being nude in a locker room, or even around women my own age. (They may have a problem with it, but I don’t). But I do not disrobe around young girl children. And since the locker room is one of the last places that it is socially acceptable for men to be nude in public, I resent the intrusion that bringing a young child of the opposite gender represents. I need my naked time, dammit!
I had a thread about this a few years ago, and I agree totally. It’s not that I’m uncomfortable being nude in the locker room, it’s that I feel the KIDS may start to feel uncomfortable, particularly nine year old boys who are starting to feel ‘oogy in the tummy’ about girls.
I have a friend with a nine year old son and he is ALWAYS staring at boobs and butts and women’s faces and hair. He’s beginning to be enthralled with women’s bodies…and I can’t imagine having him in the room when I changed clothes or showered!
I’m not a guy (and neither are you), but how can you be so sure? There ARE nine year olds that want to look at boobies (and vaginas and everything else). And this is besides the point anyway…it’s about the comfort of the other women in the room. I know I would be creeped out if a strange pre-teen male was gawking at me. Even if it wasn’t sexual gawking, it would still make me uncomfortable.
If I had been in that mother’s situation, I would have made the boys stand in the corner with their backs turned.
I have to agree with the OP; 9 YO is a bit old to be in the opposite sex changing room–it’s not healthy for the 9 yo and it might frankly make other women uncomfortable changing in front of him. (Heck, I’m uncomfortable changing in front of anyone in the locker rooms, but that’s a different thread altogether … :D). OTHO, 9 YO is a little young to be going into the Men’s changing room by himself.
Maybe the mother didn’t know there was a “family” changing room–IMHO, that sounds like a good solution to situations like this. The mother and children can be together, without putting anyone else in an uncomfortable place.
And I will personally attest that by age 9 I was interested, looking at my Grandfather’s playboys, and would have been intensely interested in being inside a women’s locker room and seeing boobies and hoo-has.
I do take him into the women’s locker room at the pool with me, because the family locker room in inadequate. Too many families, too many children. And far too many teenage boys (who should be in the men’s locker room) peering through the cracks (the showers/changing areas are bathroom stall like). It works when the pool isn’t busy, but when we were trying to get ready for swimming lessons and there were lots of preschoolers in there (either leaving swimming lessons or getting ready for them), plus the teenagers it was unworkable.
Which is a question to ask your gym. Is the parent and child change room adequate? 'Cause I know from talking to my girlfriends that mine is not the only one that is too small or otherwise problematic - and don’t turn out to be workable solutions.
Well, my nine year old boy doesn’t seem to care about looking at boobies. He’s way more interested in talking about what he’s been doing on the computer at school.