Leisure Centre Changing Rooms
A friend of mine recently gave me an idea for a blog post surrounding leisure centre changing rooms and she makes a very valid point.
On a recent visit to a leisure centre run by our local council she found a man in the female changing rooms with his daughter. One of the mums in the changing expressed her concerns about him being in the female changing room, but he said that he didn’t want to take his young daughter into the men’s changing rooms.
I can completely understood his point.
When my husband and I take our twin girls swimming I tend to have one and my husband will take the other in with him. It’s easier and quicker, but now that they’re no longer babies I feel slightly different about this.
I’ve never been comfortable about my husband taking one of our daughters in with him. I mean you never know who will be in there – although I will just say we should have the same concerns about the women’s changing rooms although society has enforced us to feel more this way about men than women.
Anyway, the next time we take the girls swimming I’d like to take them both in with me. They’re three years old now so it shouldn’t be a problem to do so as they listen to me when I tell them not to wander off.
I’m not actually sure if any council run leisure centres have family changing rooms?
I remember my husband and I went to a privately run swimming pool quite a while back and they had family changing rooms which were great, although there weren’t many of them.
I do wish more council run leisure centres would add family changing rooms.
What do you think?
6 Comments
Cardiff Mummy Says
August 8, 2015 at 7:28 pm
I really think more leisure centres should have family changing rooms – it would make life so much easier and make more parents feel safer. We have the same dilemmas with public toilets too. I really don't like my children going into public loos with their daddy. More family cubicles, like at St David's Shopping Centre in Cardiff, would be brilliant! x
Emily
August 10, 2015 at 6:36 pm
Hi Cath, thanks for your comment. They really should have family changing rooms shouldn't they. It'd be a lot easier, but also a lot safer too. I always make the girls come in with me. I'd hate to think of them going into the mens with their daddy x
theanxiousdragonsblog
August 9, 2015 at 2:40 pm
We have family changing rooms at our local leisure centre and I think its something all centres should have.
We have however had situations where mums have taken their almost teenage boys (at a guess 11 or 12) boys in the female changing rooms, as the family ones were full. This made several of the ladies quite uncomfortable as the boys were openly staring at them getting changed.
Emily
August 10, 2015 at 6:37 pm
Hi, thanks for your comment. You're so lucky to have them at your local centre. Ours are quite dated and old fashioned, but definitely in need of family rooms. I'd feel quite uncomfortable with a boy of that age being in the ladies if I was in there getting changed too x
Julie S
August 10, 2015 at 6:44 pm
It would really be great if more places had family restrooms. With the men's restroom urinals being out in the open, I certainly understand not wanting to have your daughter in there.
Emily
August 10, 2015 at 6:52 pm
Hi Julie, thanks for your comment. You make a very valid point. I couldn't imagine having to change them in there x