What about for dads with their daughters? Dads, at what age do you become uncomfortable with them in the locker room, and feel like they're leering at you?

Parents are wise NOT to send their young children alone
into a public locker room.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread has really been a wake up call to me with a 6 year old DS. It never would have occurred to me to not bring him into the locker room with me. Does this apply to all public bathrooms??? Lots of places do not have a family bathroom and I am not comfortable with DS going to the mens room by himself at all.

I wouldn't let my boys go into a mens room by themselves at that age, either. I would take them to a regular ladies room in another part of the building or to the family restroom. Most of the time we just went home to change.

I would not send a six year old into a public locker room by themselves.

My gym allowed boys age six and under in the women's locker room. However, my son was a taller six year old, and certainly by the time he was closer to seven, I could see how his presence would really be startling to others. My solution was to pop a towel over his head (like a hostage lol) and just walk him quickly into a stall where we changed, used the toilet, or whatever else we had to do. A bit goofy, but it worked just fine.

The pedophile concern would be if you were forced to send your young boy into a men’s locker area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pedophiles are a problem, people.
Please keep that in mind.

You know what's not a big problem? Getting in the car and going home and showering there. Oh, big whoop, your hair will smell like chlorine for 15 minutes. Better than pedophiles AND making an entire locker room super uncomfortable.

Almost not a big problem - a mom with her son in the locker room. We aren’t talking about unattended teens or leering creeps. They are young boys with their moms, chill.

Not all pools have family changing rooms!

Age: when the child can reliably change by him or herself, and alert others if someone is bothering them.

That age will vary with the child. My son with motor disabilities could not reliably change in the men's until he was 7. Thankfully he's very small for his age and before that, no one commented at all.

I have boys and girls. I'm also European. I don't quite understand why there are threads about this every year on DCUM. Elementary school-aged children do not have the same understanding of nudity as adults. They can stare, but without prurient intent. It may be more harmful for young children's development to verbalize fear in these cases, because they might grow up to be fearful of the opposite sex.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:8 or so. Not a chance I'd let my little one in a locker room alone. I rarely let my older elementary school child in one alone. They are selfish parents to send their kids in a public restroom alone.

Other people are selfish for respecting everyone’s privacy? An 8 year old is NOT a little one and have no business being in an opposite gender locker room.

Mom's call, not yours.

It absolutely is my call of I’m naked in a locker room and getting leered at by your 8 year old son.

My son has no interest in your body and why are you naked in public around any child - boy or girl? Cover up.

It’s a locker room. Specifically set up to change clothes. Which by definition means becoming naked at some point. Have your snowflake stand outside the entrance, psycho helicopter mom.

Nah, he’ll be with me.

Because the rules don’t apply to you, right?

If there were a posted rule, I would follow it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread has really been a wake up call to me with a 6 year old DS. It never would have occurred to me to not bring him into the locker room with me. Does this apply to all public bathrooms??? Lots of places do not have a family bathroom and I am not comfortable with DS going to the mens room by himself at all.

I wouldn't let my boys go into a mens room by themselves at that age, either. I would take them to a regular ladies room in another part of the building or to the family restroom. Most of the time we just went home to change.

There is a big difference in my mind between a bathroom and a locker room. In a bathroom, people aren't really visible, either the adults or the kid of the opposite gender. Everyone is just using a stall. In a locker room, people are obviously undressed out in the open to a varying degree.

Anonymous wrote:This thread has really been a wake up call to me with a 6 year old DS. It never would have occurred to me to not bring him into the locker room with me. Does this apply to all public bathrooms??? Lots of places do not have a family bathroom and I am not comfortable with DS going to the mens room by himself at all.

I wouldn't let my boys go into a mens room by themselves at that age, either. I would take them to a regular ladies room in another part of the building or to the family restroom. Most of the time we just went home to change.

Yes this is interesting. I think 6/7 but I’m not sure. We belong to a club that does not have family changing rooms. You have to go through the locker room to get to the pool.

Today there were lots of 4 year old boys in the women’s locker room.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5 years old. Most public places I've been have notices that 6&older not allowed. If they don't have a family room, then just pull on sweatpants over their wet suit and wait to shower and change at home. Personally, I think that's just easier anyway. And yes, you send you kid to walk through the correct gender locker room and just meet them on the other side.

For the summer, spring and fall, we just go home in a suit but in the middle of the winter its a problem. Never seen anywhere banning it.

My boys just toweled off, pulled on sweatpants over their suits, put on a jacket and we went home to change. If it was frigid outside, I'd turn the heat up in the van. One of my sons recently mentioned how driving home in our cozy, warm van after a swim at the rec center is a really nice childhood memory for him.

This thread has really been a wake up call to me with a 6 year old DS. It never would have occurred to me to not bring him into the locker room with me. Does this apply to all public bathrooms??? Lots of places do not have a family bathroom and I am not comfortable with DS going to the mens room by himself at all.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:8 or so. Not a chance I'd let my little one in a locker room alone. I rarely let my older elementary school child in one alone. They are selfish parents to send their kids in a public restroom alone.

Other people are selfish for respecting everyone’s privacy? An 8 year old is NOT a little one and have no business being in an opposite gender locker room.

Mom's call, not yours.

It absolutely is my call of I’m naked in a locker room and getting leered at by your 8 year old son.

My son has no interest in your body and why are you naked in public around any child - boy or girl? Cover up.

I know, right? The old ladies in there are the worst! Walking around with their floppy t*ts out and a full bush. No one wants to see it! Gross.

No. They’re the best. They’ve gotten over all this prudish bullshit you’re still carrying around. They don't give two shits what you think about their tits or bush.

Which is why I have no problem avoiding the locker room altogether.

Anonymous wrote:Pedophiles are a problem, people.
Please keep that in mind.

You know what's not a big problem? Getting in the car and going home and showering there. Oh, big whoop, your hair will smell like chlorine for 15 minutes. Better than pedophiles AND making an entire locker room super uncomfortable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:8 or so. Not a chance I'd let my little one in a locker room alone. I rarely let my older elementary school child in one alone. They are selfish parents to send their kids in a public restroom alone.

Other people are selfish for respecting everyone’s privacy? An 8 year old is NOT a little one and have no business being in an opposite gender locker room.

Mom's call, not yours.

It absolutely is my call of I’m naked in a locker room and getting leered at by your 8 year old son.

Uh, no 8 year old boy does that.
- mom of 8 yr old boy who would rather die