To go to a private health club swimming pool, and whilst getting dressed a nine yr old boy walks in with his mother!!!

[bubblicious]

What makes it even worse that he goes to the school where I work!

Just wondered as I have 3DDs so it has never been an issue for me, at what age is it reasonable for a child to get changed in the right changing room! (this swimming pool has separate changing rooms!

I have to say Im not a prude but there are only 2 changing cubicles!

I mean I would not feel comfortable about the boy going in the changing room by himself, not that I wouldn't feel comfortable about a boy in the women's changing rooms!

I have a nearly 5 yr old ds. We had an unfortunate incident at our local pool where a man peered over our locker and took a photo of me nakes on a camera phone (they have mixed changing rooms)

This has certainly made me realise changing rooms are not particularly safe.

I don't think a 9 yr old boy would even notice if a potential peado was talking to them or eyeing them up tbh, they are naive at that age.

But teh peado would certainly notice that the 9 yr old was unsupervised and an easy target.

Agree, family rooms are def the way to go.

its 7 at our gym. i go with my cousin who's ds turned 7 in october. he's fine about going in the mens on his own. he has 4 year old brothers and they've started going in with him too cos he said they were babies!

Has anyone experienced something dodgy happening to a boy in a men's changing room at the swimming pool?

absoultely, northerner and F&Z - I am not someone who worries about paedos on every corner - I let my children play out, I don't watch their every move - but I think a swimming pool changing area is a high risk place. If you have a pool where there is no family changing room, and a rule which states 8 years old boys must change in the mens changing rooms, then it is just not on IMO. Who is to say that local paedophiles haven't cottoned on to the convenient club rules and it is a prime spot for them?

I think taking older children to swimming pools and the gym at that age can be quite difficult - they are too old for the creche, too young to be left unsupervised.

I do think this is an issue to take up with the club, though. There should at least be a notice warning users of the adult changing rooms that families with mixed sex children may use the facilities.

also we used to be part of a caravan club. loads of the kids used to go down to the showers by themselves. the youngest were a brother and sister aged 4 and 6, although the boy did go in the girls with his sister. also 2 sisters aged 6 and 7 both went on their own. i would say from the age of about 6.5 it would be ok.

steinermum - it might just be a case of someone eyeing up a child - nothing concrete to report.

I agree with northerner and stitch - I'm pretty laid back and feel that stranger danger is massively over hyped but I do feel that 9 is too young to be in a changing room on their own - I also agree it's getting a bit old for being in the wrong sex changing room. I think family rooms are a must. If I was a member of a gym that didn;t have family changing I'd feel inclined to ask them to do something about it.

did he say nice tits bubble?

Nope steinermum I haven't and that is a good question

I too have experience of paedos in swimming pools.

I wish there were family rooms at our local pool just for logistical reasons. I went swimming with one of my boys today and we went into separate changing rooms and basically lost each other for half an hour. I ended up running through the male changing rooms screaming his name a couple of times, shocking several young (and well hung) showering men witless. Finally found him outside the female changing rooms in tears because he'd been trying to find me to get 20p for his locker but couldn't make me hear and was feeling all panicky.

that's a really horrible experience for you both - and a very good reason for family changing rooms.

Thanks hat. We recovered and went on to have a lovely time luckily but we were both temporarily minorly shook up- takes quite a lot to make my big nearly 8 year old cry these days.

Scrummy you got to look at some well hung tho look on the bright side

I think 9 is old enough for him to go into the mens without his mum.

Normally I wouldn't mind a 9 year old boy seeing me in the nude but if I knew him .... Well!

AT our local pool it is an age 8 cut off and no family changing. When DS goes for his swimming lesson it so packed with parents and children (many of whom I know) I will not be at all worried - other than that he might not find his clothes in the mayhem. I suppose it is more of an issue at other times. DS is 6 and quite capable of sorting himself out - but in his own time - my main role is to chivvy him along. I have been helpful to men waiting for daughters in the past and gone and checked up on them only to find them gossipping to their mates.

''a private health club is a pretty secure place'' - err in which way - why is it going to be any safer than anywhere else.

Sorry PMSL laughing but I read the OP as saying she had "DDs" and I wondered why on earth her bra-size mattered

I wouldn't dream of letting my son (he's five now but even if he was 10) alone in a male public changing area or a public toilet for that matter. I know a prison warders who works with paedophiles and he regularly sees ex offenders at our local leisure centre.

Good point, od! Funny how the eyes are drawn in that direction even when you are running along shouting like a worried fishwife.

zoo - totally agree ds is 5 and cant see that far ahead.

i thought a supermarket was a pretty safe place until that child got raped in one.

Absolutely.......you never think that it'll happen until it does.
I'm not leaving the safety of our children down to statistics. There are some dodgy people out there whether they've been prosecuted or not.

Scummy, I read your post and felt your panic ....
But I couldn't help grinning at the image of mad screaming scummymummy running through showers trying hard, but failing, to not look down

Sorry

scummy, bet no one was counting on that happening - wonder if the men reported it to the reception? If they have been deaf to the requests of parents, shocked male pride might motivate the leisure centre into creating a family changing room - you never know.

I think you should definitely write to the pool outlining what happened and strongly requesting family changing facilities.

IME with my sons, age 8 is just a bit too young to expect them to change by themselves quickly and efficiently in a male changing room and lose no clothes or have any other mishaps. And that's withoug the paedophile rist, which though small (I imagine) is bigger than in most places (I imagine).

Fine if they are with the school or it is a special parent and child swimming session but if just an ordinary open to the public swim, then it's not on.