Parents supervising in changing rooms and showers

[Shayisgreat]

I'm just going to preface this by saying that I know I could have used my voice and that I'm a bit of a drip for not doing so but...

I was in the shower at the gym/swimming pool and there were kids screaming in one of the shower cubicles. I feel like I have quite a high tolerance of children having fun and being noisy but this was awful, high pitched, screaming. The children were both able to use words so not toddler age. I'd say ages 6 and 4. The older one was telling the younger one to be quieter. There was no parent/carer in the shower area at all.

A few minutes later, their mum came in and asked if they wanted 5 more minutes and they agreed. She left the shower area again. At the time I was thinking it was a bit irresponsible and irritating of her to leave the children unsupervised but it's sort of par for the course at this particular gym.

Then the 4 year old banged open my cubicle door and asked me to give back the ball that had rolled under the door. I was shocked as I was obviously naked and so was he. I gave it back and asked him where his mum was and to go out to her. He didn't and just went back to the shower with his brother.

I left and went into the changing rooms and after a few minutes they both came out as well. The older child told his mum that the younger one was going into the cubicles when people were in there. She just said "oh name, you're not supposed to do that"

It just pisses me off that these children are being left to run amokin the showers with no regard for other people but also that they are being left in really vulnerable positions. What if he walked naked into a pedo's shower cubicle? How risky is that. What are these children going to know or understand about boundaries if they're not enforced or if they're not supervised until they can behave appropriately in public?

AIBU for thinking this mum (and many others like her at my gym) are fucking morons for not properly supervising their kids.

I would report exactly what happened to the gym so they can display some house rules in the changing rooms and maybe email a reminder, mind would do that

I did at reception and they told me they have no say over "parenting choices"

In that case, I would find a different gym. Two very young children should be supervised in an area where they could slip and fall and hurt themselves.

More concerned about the safeguarding aspect of children unsupervised at the gym. This must've been a shock for you but unsupervised naked kids running around is a worry x

I feel like leaving the gym would be a major over reaction - my whole social life is based around playing tennis there or socialising with people I meet there and my son and I would be at a loss at the weekend without it. I just find other parents have quite a different take on what their responsibility is when it comes to managing their children there. This can be irritating for me but I agree also potentially dangerous for their children.

How absurd. Of course they can have a policy on the age of unaccompanied children.

Now you know, you won’t be as shocked next time it happens. Use your voice. When a child bursts in on you, scream even louder and shout GET OUT!

You’ll find the parent will immediately appear to complain about you shouting at her dc!

And thank the big brother for trying so hard to keep his little bro quiet. Might shame the mum into trying harder.

This is why I go to an adults only gym/leisure club.
They do have a small window for children's swim times (2hr a day) but the children are not allowed in the adult changing rooms, there's completely separate family change.

Agreed. What bullshit. It's perfectly normal to see signs with "no unsupervised children under a certain age" in all sorts of places. They're absolutely allowed to do this by law. In fact they're taking a risk by not doing it.