What is your pool locker room policy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Wilson Pool (public) in DC, boys over six I think cannot be in the women's room. I bring my eight year old nephew there a lot and am always nervous about him being in the men's room alone. He seems to handle it well, but I've stuck my head in there, and yes, I've seen some asses and junk of grown men. I don't care. My nephew's safety is paramount.

Wilson has family changing rooms. Why not use those? Also, I think anyone over 3 yo cannot be in the opposite sex locker room.

Because there are always larger families waiting to use those, with toddlers, etc. I feel it's inconsiderate just to have him be in there alone. He can handle himself in the men's changing room. I just want to make sure he's safe.

Most guys don't care if a caretaker cracks opens the door to check on kids, but younger teens can be very shy. I can remember a mom coming in to a boys locker room when I was a 13 year old taking a shower after a sports event. I was horrified when she stopped to talk to me but now I think that I would barely even notice. But then again a year or two earlier I was horrified just to be in a group shower environment at all. I think that it is a matter of what you get used to (Europeans and professional male athletes come to mind) but some simple fixes could go a long way to making sure everyone is safe while not offending anyone. For example, a curtain just inside the door so that the door could be opened without exposing the entire locker room. Then the concerned parent could yell in to make sure that her kids are safe. Too many people appear to be worried about fairness rather than safety. Boys and guys do strange things in locker rooms and I have seen many incidents of violence, bullying and Lord of the Flies-ish behavior. At one health club in Dupont Circle where I used to work out, there were signs posted in every bathroom and shower stall that sexual activity would get you thrown out of the gym. Do women need constant reminders not to engage in sexual activity with strangers in a public place? Personally I don't care what consenting adults do (and maybe a little jealous that heteros don't have the same opportunities) but not if kids may be around. When my boys go into a public bathroom without me at an airport, etc., my nerves go to Defcon 1. Can't imagine what this must feel like to a female caretaker that can't follow them in.

[Anonymous]

A Washington Sports Club opposite sex kids can go in the locker room until age four. There is also a family changing room.

[Anonymous]

My kids change in the back of our minivan-tinted windows, lots of space.

[Anonymous]

The mothers who would take their older boys into the women's locker room are so completely rude and self-absorbed. I know it's hard to NOT consider you and Snowflake the center of this universe and the next but try - cast your mind back to when you were an, 8, 9, 10 year old girl. How would you have felt if there was an 8 year old boy standing there while you tried to change? Christ this kind of crazy ass-backward parenting is why kids are so effed-up: stop teaching your child to be self-absorbed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a member of BRSC. This policy drives me nuts too - though, I have girls, so I don't have to deal with it. But I have heard moms of boys complain about it a lot.

I will tell you - I actually had an old lady yell at me once about bringing my daughter into a changing room. And I do mean YELL.

I like going there - and the service I have had has been terrific. But their general gym membership seems to skew older - and I really think it is those folks who impact this policy. I thought, years ago, that they allowed kids under a certain age, but blocking it altogether is really frustrating.

I wonder if parents banded together and wrote letters to complain, would they consider changing the policy? It drives me nuts that they have a dry locker room for women only (no kids whatsoever, even if they are girls) - couldn't they convert this? Or allow kids in during certain hours? It sure would make life easier. That dry locker room is often empty when I am there (admittedly, in off hours, though.)

FWIW - I've done swim classes at two nearby parks & rec centers - BRSC is far better.

OP here. Wait, what?! I have never gone swimming there; I've only taken DS for lessons. You are telling me there are two women's locker rooms, one that allows girls and one that doesn't? You have got to be kidding. That makes their policy even more ridiculous.

DS sees me naked when I change. I'm fairly sure he realizes that people are naked under bathing suits and at some point have to take them off. Such a weird policy. I had been thinking about lessons elsewhere, but it's good to hear that the quality is better here. DS is a little older this year, but we will likely still change in the car, etc.

[Anonymous]

I'm amazed. Do none of you change in front of your children? Are your children not allowed to see nudity in your house? Have your kids never walked in on you when you were naked?

It's just nudity!! No wonder girls are ashamed of their bodies at a younger and younger age - they're being taught it's bad!

My son is 6, and he goes with me to the women's restroom, and to the women's locker rooms (unless there is a family option). Thank god no one has gotten mad at me! He's SIX not 16.

[Anonymous]

Lifetime doesn't allow opposite sex children in the locker rooms - but there is a large family locker room with multiple (6? 8?) individual changing rooms. My boys are now 9y and they go into the mens locker rooms alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed. Do none of you change in front of your children? Are your children not allowed to see nudity in your house? Have your kids never walked in on you when you were naked?

It's just nudity!! No wonder girls are ashamed of their bodies at a younger and younger age - they're being taught it's bad!

My son is 6, and he goes with me to the women's restroom, and to the women's locker rooms (unless there is a family option). Thank god no one has gotten mad at me! He's SIX not 16.

+1.

[Anonymous]

mostly 6 year old. I would suggest you take you 4 year old with you to the lady's locker room. Nobody cares.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed. Do none of you change in front of your children? Are your children not allowed to see nudity in your house? Have your kids never walked in on you when you were naked?

It's just nudity!! No wonder girls are ashamed of their bodies at a younger and younger age - they're being taught it's bad!

My son is 6, and he goes with me to the women's restroom, and to the women's locker rooms (unless there is a family option). Thank god no one has gotten mad at me! He's SIX not 16.

Our pool policy is 6. I've seen parents taking older kids in. People do get mad, they just don't want to talk to you in front of your kid, but they talk right after you leave. You don't need to care, but a policy is there for a reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed. Do none of you change in front of your children? Are your children not allowed to see nudity in your house? Have your kids never walked in on you when you were naked?

It's just nudity!! No wonder girls are ashamed of their bodies at a younger and younger age - they're being taught it's bad!

My son is 6, and he goes with me to the women's restroom, and to the women's locker rooms (unless there is a family option). Thank god no one has gotten mad at me! He's SIX not 16.

You do whatever you want at home. It's not just about you and your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed. Do none of you change in front of your children? Are your children not allowed to see nudity in your house? Have your kids never walked in on you when you were naked?

It's just nudity!! No wonder girls are ashamed of their bodies at a younger and younger age - they're being taught it's bad!

My son is 6, and he goes with me to the women's restroom, and to the women's locker rooms (unless there is a family option). Thank god no one has gotten mad at me! He's SIX not 16. [/quote

This entire post is is absurd. Comparing the occasional nudity that happens within a family, in a home, to strangers in a locker room is ridiculous.

Wanting my 6YO DD to be able to change in a ladies locker room without some boy seeing her private parts is not teaching her to be ashamed of her body.

But I could theorize that what you are teaching your son is that he doesn't need to pay attention to the reasonable personal boundaries of other people, women in this case. Hmmmm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed. Do none of you change in front of your children? Are your children not allowed to see nudity in your house? Have your kids never walked in on you when you were naked?

It's just nudity!! No wonder girls are ashamed of their bodies at a younger and younger age - they're being taught it's bad!

My son is 6, and he goes with me to the women's restroom, and to the women's locker rooms (unless there is a family option). Thank god no one has gotten mad at me! He's SIX not 16.

This entire post is is absurd. Comparing the occasional nudity that happens within a family, in a home, to strangers in a locker room is ridiculous.

Wanting my 6YO DD to be able to change in a ladies locker room without some boy seeing her private parts is not teaching her to be ashamed of her body.

But I could theorize that what you are teaching your son is that he doesn't need to pay attention to the reasonable personal boundaries of other people, women in this case. Hmmmm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed. Do none of you change in front of your children? Are your children not allowed to see nudity in your house? Have your kids never walked in on you when you were naked?

It's just nudity!! No wonder girls are ashamed of their bodies at a younger and younger age - they're being taught it's bad!

My son is 6, and he goes with me to the women's restroom, and to the women's locker rooms (unless there is a family option). Thank god no one has gotten mad at me! He's SIX not 16.

You do whatever you want at home. It's not just about you and your child.

Nope. It's not!! But he's still SIX and doesn't care about your boobies! At all. And, no I'm not sending him into the men's room alone. Call the police. I promise they won't arrest me for my son doing nothing wrong.

If I had a daughter, I would be fine with (fictional) husband taking her to the men's locker room. You all are prudes. Nudity is NOT the horrible thing you're making it out to be. It's the human body. It's normal. If you would teach your daughters to be proud of their beautiful selves they wouldn't grow up to be anorexic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At Wilson Pool (public) in DC, boys over six I think cannot be in the women's room. I bring my eight year old nephew there a lot and am always nervous about him being in the men's room alone. He seems to handle it well, but I've stuck my head in there, and yes, I've seen some asses and junk of grown men. I don't care. My nephew's safety is paramount.

What is the safety issue? I don't understand.