Children of the opposite sex in changing rooms

[Gatecrasher61]

OK - firstly I am not a parent (probably shouldn't be on here, but hey ho) so I am happy to be corrected.

Our local swimming pool has open changing rooms, no cubicles. I tend to go swimming after work, which is just before the kids swimming lessons. When the kids arrive, I am normally getting dressed in the changing room after my shower.

Often women come into the changing room with their sons who are between 8-11 and are often greeted with the sight of me starkers! Probably not a good sight as I am middle aged and a size 14 on a good day, but there is no where else to go!

Now I know that other women have complained about this but have been told that the Mums are not happy for their boys to go into the men's changing rooms are they are not able to dress themselves and also don't like them being there with male adults who are strangers.

I learnt to swim when I was six and a half. My Dad used to take me to a swimming club where I had lessons and I had to prove that I could get dry and change myself and also sort out my kit.

Now I realise that boys are different, but is it really appropriate for boys of that age to be in the women's room? Surely they should be able to dress themselves at the age of six or seven?

My kids are 6, I can't see me sending them on their own into the men's changing rooms for a good while. Maybe at 10? Any paedophiles could be in there. Not a problem for me as our pool has family changing rooms, which works really well.

Rules and norms change. Maybe all changing rooms should be unisex / family and people should wear their swimming costumes / trunks in the shower and change in a cubicle.

What about transgender people? Where are they supposed to go?

We were just in France and the changing room and toilets of the pool were unisex.

Ideally all pools should have male, female and unisex. Maybe that's a new standard that should be brought in. Or all individual cubicles with showers and benches.

Heateallthebuns - transpeople can use the changing room which relates to their sex.

Good point about transgender people actually, or people who haven't finished transitioning. They would not be welcomed into either a male or female changing room. I wouldn't want to be naked in front of a male who identifies as female, yet it's not right that they would be in a male changing room if they lived as a woman. I think conmunal changing rooms are becoming outdated. Surely anyone would have the choice of getting changed in private.

• prefer the choice of getting changed in private