Child at the gym

[CosyScentedCandles]

I go to a local leisure centre gym 4-5 times a week. Because it is only a leisure centre, I accept that it has to be available to meet a range of needs and part of that is that they allow kids from 15 to use the gym at specific times. This doesn’t bother me, I generally avoid the teen-gym slots and if I don’t it is usually one harmless 16 year old girl using a cross trainer.

What is really winding me up is that there is a woman who seems to regularly sneak her 10-11yo in with her so that she can work out. She plonks him on a machine or a bench and he proceeds too much about with the equipment, preventing somebody else from using it properly. Apart from the fact he his taking up room in what is a small gym, AIBU to think that some places are simply not appropriate for children and to want some time in an adults only space?

I feel like I want to complain but I don’t know 🤷🏼‍♀️

If he had been sat quietly, then the OP would have had much less grounds for complaint.

It's the dicking about on the machines that makes it a bigger issue as it compromises his safety and the ability of paying members to complete their workout.

Even in this hypothetical scenario where it's this poor DMs only chance to work out, any sensible person would tell their young DC not to play on weights machines as they are dangerous, no ?

At the risk of sounding blunt...no one gets the public gym as their personal sanctuary. Anyone can be on that equipment at any time.
Don't know why any of you would make a fuss about it being a kid. It's not like you even have to wait it out. A polite request is all that is required.

It's an issue if you want it to be. He's not doing any harm. I'm not into complaining unneccessarily or making it hard for other women.

Find a gym that allows children inside. As I said upthread, mine does, so they do exist. It isn’t a fancy gym and it doesn’t have a crèche, just a dedicated area for children to sit where their parents can keep an eye on them.

Not blunt. Just dense

If I go somewhere where kids aren't allowed. There should be no kids.

I could write more but it seems rather futile.

Exactly " no one gets the public gym as their personal sanctuary " which includes this woman who wants to bring along her 10-11 year old DS at times he is not allowed to be there.

As long as he moves when asked though then it's not actually a huge deal imo. I don't think that's been done yet. Whether it's dangerous or compromises insurance is between the mum and the centre staff. The sensible thing is surely to mention it to reception staff if he's actually bothering you though

Report to the management.

If her child shouldnt be there they'll ask her to refrain from bringing them.

The "no harm done" brigade on here are ridiculous. Not everywhere is appropriate to bring a child and nor should it be.

I'm not going to argue the toss any more. There's nothing else to say and I'm not up for being insulted.

Complain then...it'll be nice for you.

Just been to my gym and there was a 7ish year old on the treadmill. The age limit is 12, and they're meant to be supervised. Pisses me off that the rules don't appear to apply to some people, and the gym staff do fuck all about it.

If it's dangerous.! It's potentially dangerous to everyone who uses the gym and is NOT down to the mother and staff. The rules are there. Why are so many people ignoring the fact that rules are in place but are being flouted?

If it's dangerous.! It's potentially dangerous to everyone who uses the gym and is NOT down to the mother and staff. The rules are there. Why are so many people ignoring the fact that rules are in place but are being flouted?

In the case of a piece of gym apparatus it's unlikely to affect anyone else apart from the person sitting on the apparatus at the time. I've no idea why OP hasn't just mentioned it to gym staff though

Funny. You called everyone who complained 'disagreeable self important sods'

Anyway. No kids allowed means... no kids allowed. Shocker.

I have no desire to be negotiating machine usage with DCs that are not meant to be there. Thankfully my low cost gym has tube door entry, so impossible for someone to sneak in.

Nope, pretty sure the point literally is that the kid shouldn’t be there, and it’s reasonable to expect an adults only gym to be adults only.

Bit dramatic there with the opining, though. From personal experience I can’t say it’s the cause of outrage or misery. It’s an irritant that is thankfully solved quickly by a word with manager.

It’s funny to me that the people handwringing about how child unfriendly the UK is are the same ones saying that we don’t need adult spaces and kids should just be allowed to dick about on gym equipment cos they’re not doing any harm.

If the UK is child unfriendly, it’s in large part because there aren’t any adult only spaces anymore, bar perhaps 18 cert films and nightclubs. Adults need to have adult time and environments the way kids need to have things for them. That’s normal. The more you argue that kids should be included in everything, eroding adult spaces, the more intolerant you make people who enjoy those spaces. Coupled with the UK’s tendency towards not applying much child discipline and this is the result.

The UK isn’t child-unfriendly, it’s child centric and people get fed up with it.

Absolutely this, adult only spaces have been eroded away, it's not child unfriendly to want to go somewhere just for adults.

Yeah they will sit quietly for an hour if given their tablets, so any gyms with an area for kids to sit would suffice

Pay for a proper gym then. The council leisure centre is a public facility

I pay for a proper gym. I pay a lot. It doesn't stop people taking the piss with the rules and your comment is completely irrelevant.

She doesn’t need to - the leisure centre only allows kids at specified times. Mum is breaking that rule and hopefully will be told to stop doing so, so OP can continue to enjoy the service advertised.

A gym I was a member of used to allow children until a couple of unsupervised toddlers were found on equipment. Rules then changed to immobile babies in prams, and a small seating area that older children who didn't need supervision could wait with books etc (5/6+). Plus a couple of buggy fit sessions.

So can I turn up to the women only swim session with my DH in tow if it is a council run facility?

Except said council run leisure centre explicitly states that the gym is an adults only area except on occasions where over 15s are permitted.

The council run is irrelevant, under 16s aren't allowed in apart from certain times(these times will be more supervised) , this will be for insurance/safety reasons.

How about people just follow the rules it's a gym it isn't for kids not everything council do has to be it's not even an unreasonable rule.

At the leisure centre I used to swim at, loads of mums used to bring their boy children to these sessions, on the basis that the boys felt safer.

Which they were, but the women and girls who the session was put on for stopped going.

Some people have no qualms about this sort of behaviour, sadly.