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 🤷🏼‍♀️

Just say something to reception if it’s that much of an issue for you.

One thing I would note is you have no idea how old this child is, so might end up looking a bit stupid, and secondly are you 100% sure it’s 15+

Those harping on about it being dangerous, not really considering many gyms allow children 10+ unsupervised in the gym.

@Silverpining "Those harping on about it being dangerous, not really considering many gyms allow children 10+ unsupervised in the gym.".

No decent gym will allow unsupervised DCs unless they have received full training on the equipment. DS had to attend 6 supervised training sessions at the council gym before he was allowed to attend from age 13.

Why do people de-rail threads so much, the thread is about a mother taking her 11 year old son to the gym whilst she works out. It never takes long for people to throw in these sort of comments.

Also there are plenty of gyms that allow children and their parents to use them. If the 11 year old wasn’t allowed inside the gym, surely the receptionist would mention this to the mother, not just let the child walk on in.

I was a receptionist in a gym once as an evening job and we spent hours policing kids from the gym studios the manager was great tho and basically said kids are allowed in the payable crèche, kids classes or in the studio if there was an activity on not hang about the gym and we just told people!!

CosyScentedCandles · Today 11:35

The gym is not staffed. There are staff available on the reception desk however swimming lessons, football and tennis courts are all available for children/families so no one would necessarily bat an eyelid at them walking through the turnstiles

You're not invisible, I read what you said but thought you could read the full thread yourself, then instead of expecting everyone to bow at your word or that you could maybe not get arsey with other peoples replies and could offer your advise yourself. Hope this helps.

Surely it would've been easier to just say "yes that's been suggested" or "No that's not a good idea (because)" or "That's a good idea" . I wasn't actually commenting on my invisibility about that post.

So your local gym allowed children unsupervised.

The Op has no idea how old this child is, what inductions they may have received, what insurance the gym has or anything else mentioned on this thread

When my children were young they would go to the daycare facility that was at the gym I used. I specifically picked a gym with one because I do not belive a gym is a place for a child. Or I would go when someone else had them.

There are certain things you need to modify when you have children. To me going to the gym is one of them.

@Silverpining 13 year olds and above, trained on appropriate use of gym equipment are allowed. This is pretty dissimilar to the situation OP is describing.

Honestly, you all sound like you don't participate in any sport seriously and want excuses for laziness and poor health, each to their own!

This poster mentioned CrossFit before, they call theirself athletes and rest of gym community has name for CrossFit people it begins with w and ends in r.

You can tell by sight whether someone is using a machine correctly, versus dicking around on it. She also said that over 15-18 year olds are allowed on specific days, of which this was not one.

anyway, if she is in fact wrong and this kid is fine to be there then checking with staff won’t be a problem then, will it?

Why don't you email hour concerns

Of course not, hence why my post stated she should tell reception

goodness me you’re hard fucking work

Thanks 🥰

@Silverpining Yes but OP's gym doesn't allow this. And as such the boy won't have had any training sessions so isn't at all the same as this situation. The only gyms who do allow children usually restrict to 13 and are gyms which have a permanent member of staff which OP's gym doesn't which makes it unsafe.

Again, it’s simply not true that the only gyms that do allow children usually restrict to 13.

I know of 3 local gyms who allow from 11.

People need to stop talking from their backside, if the OP has an issue she should report to reception staff, no on her, including the OP has any idea about the exact age of this child or what the gyms insurance policy states. It’s simply idiotic to pretend otherwise

But this is irrelevant if the age is 15 it's 15.

I’d also ask him to move, every time I needed something he was on or mucking about with.

Yup, I'd do this.

He's extremely unlikely to say no, and if he does you can tell the staff a child is stopping you using the machine. It'll get sorted pretty sharpish I'd imagine.

@Silverpining
None of my local gyms allow unsupervised kids under 13. There is only one which allows 13 year olds and only during certain times and always under the supervision of a member of staff and accompanied by an adult also. I think it's you that's talking rubbish.

In any case it's irrelevant having kids running round a gym changes the atmopshere. It's not allowed. People paid to go to that gym because they liked the terms and conditions which include no kids.

Maybe read the post I was replying to…

Christ some on here are dense

Good for you, it doesn’t however matter one iota what your local gym does, or mine, hence why the OP should just tell reception and let them deal with it.

If this mother is bending rules to suit herself, it should be reported and stopped before she sets a precedent for others.

Not really this is about the ops situation, you are talking the gyms who let 11 year olds in who should be as children's body's are still developing.

If Calling people dense I'd look in mirror before I did.