children in communal changing rooms

valk_scot

jellyhead wrote: »

I don't have a daughter, so perhaps others might disagree with me but is it much different to a boy and a bunch of women being naked?

I can't quite be bothered to go and find any stats for this but my gut feeling is that there are more men inappropriately interested in the bodies of eight year old girls than there are women interested in the bodies of eight year old boys. I'm not implying that all men are !!!!!philes, of course, just that you'd be slightly more likely to find a male one than a female one in any given situation.

From the child's point of view? I think it's relatively common for small children to go to changing rooms with a group of their friends and mums, not so common with a group of dads. So kids could be a bit more blase about female nudity? I do remember when my DD got to about five or six she made some comment about being in a cubicle with her uncle and male cousin when she went swimming with her dad and brother, she wasn't blase about being there any more with BIL and nephew. I mentioned it to my OH and he moved to a seperate cubicle for our family only. As soon as a child isn't comfortable with a situation like that, that's the time to change it imho.

ab.da54

jellyhead wrote: »

I don't have a daughter, so perhaps others might disagree with me but is it much different to a boy and a bunch of women being naked?

I don't know to be honest, but would imagine people would be more comfortable with boys in women's changing rooms than girls in the men's.

fluffymuffy

Our local leisure centre was recently refurbished. I paid to go in and when I reached the changing rooms there was just one big room. With naked women. And children. Some bawling. I went back to the reception and asked where the private cubicles were. There weren't any. I got a refund and now use the pool in the next town.

This all seems a step backwards. Clothes shops have finally realised that people don't want to undress in public so why are swimming pools still being refurbished without any thought for privacy? For the gold standard I like Center Parcs changing rooms.

People should vote with their feet.

Torry_Quine

fluffymuffy wrote: »

Our local leisure centre was recently refurbished. I paid to go in and when I reached the changing rooms there was just one big room. With naked women. And children. Some bawling. I went back to the reception and asked where the private cubicles were. There weren't any. I got a refund and now use the pool in the next town.

This all seems a step backwards. Clothes shops have finally realised that people don't want to undress in public so why are swimming pools still being refurbished without any thought for privacy? For the gold standard I like Center Parcs changing rooms.

People should vote with their feet.

The more people do this then hopefully they'll get the message. As you say a retrograde step.

Dunroamin

fluffymuffy wrote: »

Our local leisure centre was recently refurbished. I paid to go in and when I reached the changing rooms there was just one big room. With naked women. And children. Some bawling. I went back to the reception and asked where the private cubicles were. There weren't any. I got a refund and now use the pool in the next town.
.

One changing room for both men and women?

coolcait

Dunroamin wrote: »

One changing room for both men and women?

Good God!

What an image :eek:.

At least it involves the correct spelling of 'bawling'.

notanewuser

bumbledore wrote: »

Because a child might not feel comfortable getting changed or even being in such a situation surrounded by strangers of the opposite sex.

There is also the possible risk to their safety.

Please explain.

valk_scot

I asked DD what she'd think if at age 8 she had been made to get changed for swimming in the same room as men and boys doing the same thing. She said she'd have rather not gone swimming. Ditto if an 8 year old boy appeared in a communal changing room nowadays. (She's 11 atm.) Once again, she said she'd rather not go swimming at all if this was the case. This did make me wonder just how many people are opting out of going to their local swimming pool or sports centre because they simply didn't feel comfortable using the communal changing rooms? Not everyone would make a point of telling the desk why they were leaving and not coming back after all. But in this age of increasing obesity and declining fitness it would be a real shame if people are being put off for this reason, no?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

The newest leisure centre to me has just been opened. It has a wet changing area for the pool, which is cubicles for both sexes, plus a couple of communal rooms for large groups. It also has sex separated dry changing rooms which have both a communal area and some cubicles.

It seems to work very well.

sjlou

As someone who has worked a pool, I can see it from a few views here.

If I had children, I would try to use the dedicated family changing rooms. Surely its just easier? You can keep an eye on little ones so they don't run off whilst you are dressing and the older ones done't have to "see" anything they don't want to/you don't want them to etc.
Although in practise there aren't many of these family rooms usually.

I think you'll find that if a man takes his daughter into the men's, other men in the changing room would be respectful of that with their behaviour.

I often had to go into the men's room to clean during my working day! Are there definitely wasn't anything being waggled about!!:rotfl:

My old workplace has now introduced a unisex changing area set around the lockers. So there a lots of cubicles of all sizes to accommodate singles, families etc. Think that's the best really. Parents can keep an eye/ear out for their kids whilst also letting them have a bit of responsibility to get themselves dry.