So that deck changing thread got me thinking, what is normal for public sessions? I'm going back to my UK/USA comparisons........
When I took my kids swimming to the public sessions in the UK, I'd pack up a bag of suits, towels, floats, toys etc and schlepp along to the pool to change in the changing rooms.
Now an FYI 'cos things are different here....Changing rooms consist of a number of cubicles for people to change in private as well as a communal change area and are split between male and female change - although some pools have a changing village with huge family-sized cubicles and no communal change. All modern (ie non-victorian) UK pools have pretty good changing facilities, even those with not much more than a 25m 6 lane pool.
So I take my kids to our local-ish pool here in Texas. 8 lane, 25yd competition pool, plus leisure pool with waterslide, lazy river and kids play structure and walk into the women's locker room.
It is full of lockers and has 2 small benches...eh? Where do I change???
Anyway being a communal-change gal, I get myself and the kids suited up and we swim. We finish swimming, we shower, remove suits wrap ourselves in a towel and dress by one of the benches.
Now whilst drying off and dressing there are a few ladies/kids shuffling around changing in the toilets and dressing in the showers. I get a couple of odd looks standing there in my underwear directing 2 small children to dress as well, but don't care - we're all naked under our clothes after all.
While we were swimming a number of families came in, most it seemed already in their suits, they "undressed" on the deck and when they left they wrapped a towel around the kids or pulled on a t-shirt and that was it. And it wasn't summer! All I could think of was the chlorine eating away at their suits.
So what is normal? and am I the only female living in Texas not afraid to strip down in the women's locker room? :afraid:
And do they build pools here with crappy changing because no-one uses it? Or does no-one use the locker rooms because they're so crappy?
Or is this just a Texas thing, not a USA thing? :D
A few years ago, I took my son to an event at a local theater. He had to go, BADLY, as in ready to pee his pants. The line at the women's bathroom was really long and despite the fact that he was practically crying, not one woman would let him go ahead of them. I even made sure to say "I will not use the bathroom--it's just him!" But no go--no pun intended.
We ran--literally--over to the men's bathroom where i told him he would need to go in by himself since I couldn't go with him. He started to cry, really nervous because it was his first time going to a busy public bathroom on his own.
A man who was coming out of the bathroom looked my son and I, opened the door to the men's room and shouted inside "Men, there's a lady coming in." He then proceeded to escort my son and I into the bathroom, I found a stall, and then listened to the men at the urinals talk about how ridiculous it was that there weren't more bathrooms for women or families and how glad they were to help out. Not one man had an issue with it--and in fact, I think they felt proud to help.
When my son was done, I shouted "We're coming out-and I promise not to look." Instead of being upset, my son was now laughing hysterically and it was a great story.
Totally funny story! And how nice that the gentleman helped you and your son.
A few years ago, I took my son to an event at a local theater. He had to go, BADLY, as in ready to pee his pants. The line at the women's bathroom was really long and despite the fact that he was practically crying, not one woman would let him go ahead of them. I even made sure to say "I will not use the bathroom--it's just him!" But no go--no pun intended.
We ran--literally--over to the men's bathroom where i told him he would need to go in by himself since I couldn't go with him. He started to cry, really nervous because it was his first time going to a busy public bathroom on his own.
A man who was coming out of the bathroom looked my son and I, opened the door to the men's room and shouted inside "Men, there's a lady coming in." He then proceeded to escort my son and I into the bathroom, I found a stall, and then listened to the men at the urinals talk about how ridiculous it was that there weren't more bathrooms for women or families and how glad they were to help out. Not one man had an issue with it--and in fact, I think they felt proud to help.
When my son was done, I shouted "We're coming out-and I promise not to look." Instead of being upset, my son was now laughing hysterically and it was a great story.
Totally funny story! And how nice that the gentleman helped you and your son.
