To expect an outdoor gym to not be used as a playground by children?

[FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop]

Went for a run yesterday and afterwards went into an outdoor gym which is (unfortunately) next to a kids' play park. There are some weights attached to vertical beams, an exercise bike, ropes, cross trainer and markings on the ground for relay runs. Loads of signs saying age 13+ only and children weren't to use it as play equipment.

It was absolutely over run with small kids aged about 4-10 climbing all over it, using the equipment and just generally getting in the way while their parents sat in the play park in clear sight of them doing nothing. When I did manage to use some equipment kids were waiting as if we were taking turns. I'd been on the exercise bike for about 15 minutes with one little girl who was about 6 staring at me...she went to get her mum who actually came and asked if her DD could have a go as she'd been waiting for ages I said no this bike is for adults and they she got all huffy and was all "Never mind darling, the lady won't get off so we'll have to just wait won't we". I was then doing relays on the markings and they were running in front of me nearly knocking into me. I gave up in the end!

Is it really so much to ask that parents tell their children to keep out of adult only areas and stay in the massive park built for children? Want to go again today as it's a great little gym, council spent a small fortune but CBA with all the unsupervised kids.

@FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop

YANBU -they should be in there, obviously!

YABU not to have told them all to leave.

Don't let other people's children intimidate you. 'I'm sure you can read, none of you are 13, so you need to leave. This is for teenagers and adults, not little children'

Parents allow their children to use the outdoor adult equipment at our park, I've only used it a couple of times as it's really exposed & I feel like a twat. I have no problem with the kids trying to use it but I'd expect them to move if I wanted to use something. I wouldn't hesitate to ask them to move if necessary.

@UselessTrees

YANBU, although our local park has had the opposite problem - 'personal trainers' using the play equipment for their workouts. Equally infuriating!

Yes we’ve had this. Accompanied by horrible grunting from those working out

Although YABabitU to expect kids not to be using it but YANBU to refuse to get off the exercise bike whilst using it for its designed purpose.
I have always wondered why the Council’s and park designers located the adult exercise equipment next to the play areas. It’s just extending the play areas.

The trend round here has been for playgrounds to be used as outdoor gyms by wankers exercise enthusiasts obviously missing their indoor gyms. Last month , there was a man doing pull-ups on the monkey bars and scowling at all the children trying to use the climbing-frame and running under his feet. He'd also laid out his dumbbells (yes, dumbbells in a children's playground ) next to his yoga mat and was getting annoyed at all the toddlers and young children going over to take a look. Thank goodness gyms have reopened.

I've had a very simar situation recently. Adult only area, kids commandeered it to practice cartwheels. I felt like a right weirdo when it's happened! I complained to the staff and they said they would sort but exactly the same the following day. Unfortunately for them, I'm pretty sweary when I do cardio.

@OhShitShit

I’m torn. Prepared to be flamed too....

Normally I’d say YANBU, and I certainly don’t let my DS play on the adult gym equipment BUT for over a year now- until last week- parents have had nowhere to take their kids except the local park. (Where we live we’ve only had a break from lockdown / additional measures for a few weeks all year)

Even the most avid swings and slides enthusiast will be bored of them by now.

Kids have given up an awful lot this year. There have been no classes, no soft play, school closures, no swimming, no travelling, no grandparents, no days out for such a long time...

I understand why you were annoyed, I really do. To be honest though, I’d find it hard to get upset on my own account in the current context.

Not to downplay how hard it's been for kids but gyms have been closed too. It's not society's problem if kids are bored it's their parents job to sort out.

gyms have been closed too. It's not society's problem if kids are bored it's their parents job to sort out.

I agree. Adults need to stay off the kids' play equipment and kids need to stay off the adults' gym equipment. Kids' play equipment is not structurally designed for adults to use and outdoor gym equipment aimed at adults is not suitable for use by young children.

Hopefully as things reopen we will all be able to go back to our usual spaces .

YANBU - I was a regular gym goer until this last year. I need to exercise for my mental health as much as anything else, and I can't afford my own gym equipment. Whenever I've tried to use outdoor gyms there's always been usually a toddler and parents come along and they then use it like a climbing frame. I don't really mind when it's just one kid as they're not stopping me from doing anything, but the situation you've described sounds really annoying! There's already a sign up stating it's for over 13s and they already have a playground, so it's not mean to tell them to move on. Plus, that kind of equipment with moving parts and high seats isn't very safe for little kids. Sometimes people with kids think they always have priority, they don't.

We have an adult outdoor gym next to our play park. Complete waste of money because I have never in 5 years seen and adult use it, only kids

That's exactly why I think it's fine for kids to use the equipment; better than it going to waste. I have one DS who quite likes those outdoor gyms. Maybe the habit will persist into adulthood.

I was astonished to see our adult outdoor gym finally unbarriered so people could use it again. And happy that most of those people were kids.

15 minutes on the exercise bike is greedy. YABU.

YANBU. My DC sometimes join in with me under my supervision but not when there are other adults about using the equipment.

On a related note also fed up of adults in the 5-11 play area in our park. In Scotland DC this age aren't included in any of the distancing rules. If no adults go in the playground they can all run around unrestricted and make friends on the swings, see-saw, fort etc. One adult "joining in" (aka monopolising everything and acting like a spoilt toddler) ruins the whole dynamic.

If your DC can't manage the play equipment on their own they should be in the toddler area which again is adjacent.

@lljkk

We have an adult outdoor gym next to our play park. Complete waste of money because I have never in 5 years seen and adult use it, only kids

That's exactly why I think it's fine for kids to use the equipment; better than it going to waste. I have one DS who quite likes those outdoor gyms. Maybe the habit will persist into adulthood.

I was astonished to see our adult outdoor gym finally unbarriered so people could use it again. And happy that most of those people were kids.

15 minutes on the exercise bike is greedy. YABU.

How was it greedy when I was the only person in the gym of the right age to use the equipment?

What a weird logic - "other people who it wasn't designed for will overtake this area so the people it was originally designed for ships STFU and deal with it". By that logic if me and my 50 friends decided to take over the kids play park would you be 'happy' to see that too?

Keep your kid outdoor gyms. It's not for him

It's like this at our local swimming pool. Kids jumping in to the swim lanes at 9pm. Dad bombing in as well. Just FO please!

Around us it's the opposite - lots of adults using the playground equipment for fitness, sometimes even doing PT sessions in the playground despite an outdoor gym being there!

YANBU.
Apart from anything else, the mother who asked for a turn for the child would probably be the first to run screaming for compensation, if/ when the child fell off.
I love the idea of an outdoor gym. There's a few exercise bits and pieces in my local park, but nothing like that.

@OhShitShit

I’m torn. Prepared to be flamed too....

Normally I’d say YANBU, and I certainly don’t let my DS play on the adult gym equipment BUT for over a year now- until last week- parents have had nowhere to take their kids except the local park. (Where we live we’ve only had a break from lockdown / additional measures for a few weeks all year)

Even the most avid swings and slides enthusiast will be bored of them by now.

Kids have given up an awful lot this year. There have been no classes, no soft play, school closures, no swimming, no travelling, no grandparents, no days out for such a long time...

I understand why you were annoyed, I really do. To be honest though, I’d find it hard to get upset on my own account in the current context.

Well we've all give up the things we enjoy over the last year haven't we? Some have had to give up a hell of a lot more than swimming and days out.

I imagine there's an element of sexism involved, that women's exercise isn't as important as men's exercise, and as a woman you didn't intimidate them enough to keep away. I bet if you were a big burly bloke grunting they would have seen the importance more of your workout and at least have told their kids to keep out of your way.

I use the outdoor gym in our park. Sings say 14+, or 1.40m+. It's next to a playground and quite often there are kids coming over to look at / climb on the equipment - including my 4yo if we're all in the park together and I try for a quick circuit.

But I have a hard time getting worked up about it. There aren't usually enough kids to disrupt what I'm doing, and certainly they're not using any piece of equipment for more than about 30 seconds before getting bored / tired / realising they can't actually do it.

At worst, I get a couple of minutes' waiting time while the equipment I want becomes vacant. Can't imagine seriously telling someone to take their child away to play elsewhere because I wanted a go on the exercise bike, nor can I seriously imagine anyone telling me to take my daughter away because they wanted to use the kit.

Having said that, once I'm on a piece of equipment, I'm staying until I'm done. So far, nobody has asked me to move although I have had a few kids standing there gawping hopefully.

I let my DS(6) use those gyms. They are totally empty 90% of the time, and he is actually pretty good on the stairmaster thing. I wouldn't let him pester adults using the equipment of course.

It must be frustrating but if you go later on from about 5pm few children are likely to be there

I think it’s hilarious the mum asked you if her kid could ‘have her turn’ like you are at playgroup

I do let my kids use the outdoor gym, they aren’t toddlers they are older though, so the playground gets a bit boring for them.
However if an adult was using the equipment I would tell them to go on something else and there’s no way in hell I would ask an adult to get off so they could have a turn!

I think Covid has meant parks are being used by a lot more people so sometimes there is conflict. Adults can be just as bad. Ours has a cordoned off cricket pitch but you still get idiots in there playing football.
Or other idiots driving their huge car through the park (when it is clearly no access to vehicles except for park keeper), because they are too lazy to carry their picnic stuff.

Or when DS took his table tennis kit to the park and someone was using the ping pong table for a birthday party with food laid out (despite the fact the council have installed new picnic tables which weren’t even being used).

@NicolaDunsire

Yanbu.

And I also get annoyed by adults using the children’s playground for boot camp stuff which I used to see in our old park - there was a personal trainer who was a repeat offender.

OT - but I've often wished for an adult version of monkey bars etc. - some places have fitness trails with them but they tend to be sized for children.

I don't think YABU at all. It feels more and more these days like people think their kids should be allowed everywhere. Its getting harder and harder to find places to go which aren't over run with kids where you can just have adult time. My biggest bug bear is pubs which are definitely not set up for families being treated like they are, I've seen it at craft beer breweries in London. If the sign for the gym says no under 13s parents should respect that whether they like it or not.

@VaVaGloom

It must be frustrating but if you go later on from about 5pm few children are likely to be there

This is true of course, but it's a bit ridiculous that the OP should have to go at a time that may not be as suitable for them to avoid children playing on equipment that are not meant as toys. They are meant for 13+ for exercise.

@HunkyPunk

YANBU. Really annoying, and I'm guessing you can't use it during the working week, when you'd probably have the equipment to yourself!

This is the issue though, there are so many people wfh/furloughed that nowhere is quiet during working hours any more! I have noticed this since I retired. I wonder if things will ever get back to normal in this respect.

Oh and OP you are not being unreasonable. This is adult equipment and could be dangerous for small children.