Boy in girls changing room…what’s the solution?

[Bundlesofchocforme]

DS is on a swimming course this week and the policy is that you use the changing room of the parent’s sex regardless of the sex of the child.

DS’s presence was clearly causing discomfort for some of the girls and there were a lot of pointed looks and mutterings from other mums but no one said anything directly to me.

Personally I would prefer to use the changing room of the child’s sex, meaning I would go into the boys changing room with ds and dads would go into the girls changing room with their daughters but I can see how this might be difficult.

Alternatively, all parents could wait outside and only children allowed in the changing room but some children do need help,

Not wanting to cause the girls further discomfort or encroach on their space, I changed ds in the very small toilet as quickly as possible but we won’t be going again.

Is there a solution that I haven’t thought of?

I can't think of a man I know that would even want to go into the female changing rooms, that rule would make no sense for anyone

I was a single parent to my son for many years and never came across this problem. We always just used cubicles.

I’m amazed at 6yo anyone is upset. There are 11yo boys in the women’s changing room at my gym and nobody seems to care (i do).

Gah! Meant children's sex - what a typo!

The thing is at our swimming lessons that because it is based on adults sex some weeks all children, male and female, will be changed in front of every other female adult.
Other weeks it could be all the dads bring them and so all children change in front of every male adult.

Segregating by adult sex only makes a difference if men only brings boys and woman only bring girls.

It doesn't bother my two yet as they are only 4, but I can imagine the older children aren't very keen on getting changed in front of their male class mates just because they were all brought to the lesson by their mums.

My DD wouldn’t care at all if there was a young boy in the changing room and neither would I. She probably wouldn’t care if there was a grown man in the changing room but I definitely would. He may be changing his daughter but what if I need to get changed?

Children from school is completely different. My three year old can dry and dress herself after swimming but doesn’t mean she is emotionally ready to go into some changing rooms by herself. By being in the room you are offering the support they need. It’s not really about the physical act but going into a changing room completely by them self and sorting them self out, with people they don’t know is too much to ask of a six year old. Of course it’s fine at 6 for them to be in with their mum.

In my opinion I think boys over 7 years old would be capable of changing themselves in the gents ( unless they're disabled and needs help). But still girls and women shouldn't have to change in the same room as a boy because it can cause discomfort. If I had a son and he's perfectly capable of changing himself in the correct changing room I would send him there and wait outside the door when he's finished. But if he's younger I would cover his eyes take him inside the girls changing toilets or cubicles change him there and leave.

Not sure that someone who hadn’t had a son can decide what they can/can’t do alone at 6 or 7.