NEED ADVICE about GYM

[dreamer20]

The kid wasn't majorly young but def. a minor. I was uncomfortable to see this kid there while naked men ...hung or not...just walked around. I think they should be kept innocent as long as possible. No need to rush a child into maturity... I made a stink about how minors shouldn't be allowed in the gym and eventually left... Would anyone go back to a gym you left on bad terms ?

I think because of nudity you should be 18. You have to be 18 to get into a rated R movie.
His dad was ...nude half the time so the poor kid stayed there waiting while he talked.

I did change my work out hours at the time so I didn't have to be there at the same time...til it got too inconvenient and I left.

Should I apologize even if I feel I was in the right?

The establishment, the son and his father have no problem with male nudity. The penis is just another part of the male body. Viewing another penis doesn't harm the young or the aged. I see no problem with him being there. However you present a problem as you transform into a hysterical, body phobic prude around young males who are permitted to be in a non-sexual setting with other nude males.

You thought it best to resolve the problem you presented, and your own discomfort, by leaving the gym. If you are willing to discard your ridiculous age-discriminatory, prudish attitude and adopt the same sensible attitude towards male nudity possessed by the teenager and his parent , then you may return to your former gym.

 

[auto90403]

why does a young male need to see older naked men?
that sounds just basically fucked up to me

Huh?

Let me answer what you think is a rhetorical question.

If there's any place where it is appropriate for a child to see same-sex adult nudity, it is a locker room.

It's a locker room, dude. Not the changing room in a sex club.

If Dad feels comfortable taking his son into a locker room, why do you have a problem? Something's missing form your story.

I accompanied my father to gyms and locker rooms when I was small. It was no big deal for anyone -- me, him, the other men.

I've been a member of big city men's clubs when they still had hours where no bathing suits were required. Also no big deal if junior saw a sausage-fest of geriatric cocks parading around between pool and locker room.

I'm just not getting why putatively sane, well-adjusted men see a same-sex locker room (normally a pretty unerotic environment) as not meaningfully different from the back room of a gay bar.

Because if that's the case, you're going to have trouble functioning in this society.

 

[LeeEJ]

I agree -- if there is any place for someone to get used to the human body in all its shapes and forms, it's the gym locker room. That's where you discover that, yes, "everybody's got one," and everyone is just another human being.

That being said, there's a thread over in another section that's loaded with lecherous comments. There's occasionally debate about whether sexual activity is ever proper in a gym (hint: IT ISN'T), but that doesn't stop some guys:
http://www.lpsg.org/29448-open-locker-room-showers.html

 

[TheRob]

Huh?

Let me answer what you think is a rhetorical question.

If there's any place where it is appropriate for a child to see same-sex adult nudity, it is a locker room.

It's a locker room, dude. Not the changing room in a sex club.

If Dad feels comfortable taking his son into a locker room, why do you have a problem? Something's missing form your story.

I accompanied my father to gyms and locker rooms when I was small. It was no big deal for anyone -- me, him, the other men.

I've been a member of big city men's clubs when they still had hours where no bathing suits were required. Also no big deal if junior saw a sausage-fest of geriatric cocks parading around between pool and locker room.

I'm just not getting why putatively sane, well-adjusted men see a same-sex locker room (normally a pretty unerotic environment) as not meaningfully different from the back room of a gay bar.

Because if that's the case, you're going to have trouble functioning in this society.

ok but that dosn't answer the question of why there is a 'basic right' to see other people naked

 

[punk09]

Here's a post from a while back:

http://www.lpsg.org/29908-showing-off-mens-locker-room-11.html#post1388050

last year i was staying at the ymca in nyc at 63d street. while there, i'd take my morning shower in the locker room to work off my morning wood in the steam room or sauna.

after not having much luck hooking up, i cooled off in the showers, flaccid hanging at about 5". i've got nothing to sneeze at soft, but it promises no indication of the size and distinctive robustness at full erection.

across from me, a father and son of about 11 y/o were showering together. both were pretty chubby, the father was facing me and the kid had his fat ass to me. dad was packing a slim thimble between his legs under his fat pad. the kid turned around and, granted he was prepubescent, also suffered from similar microphallus to his father.

but the kid pointed at my softie and elbowed his dad to get him to take a look. not sure if the kid thought i was sporting wood or that he'd never seen a big soft dick, but it was wierd as shit to have a kid urge his dad to check out my relatively enormous penis.

 

[B_thickjohnny]

to the OP - don't ever come to Europe, especially Central or Eastern Europe. People bring their kids to the public pools and change together (little boys and little girls with their [single] fathers), swim and then shower together; all in the same male locker/wet areas. The showers in these public pools are huge. 20 guys at a time are standing shoulder to shoulder and NO ONE ever seems bothered by a little boy or little girl being there with dad. I've even seen a little boy, maybe 7 or 8, with an erection. Dad didn't say anything, no one said anything. I giggled to myself because I don't think anyone gave a fuck. And why should they? You really need to take a deep breath and understand that this can be normal if we all see it as normal.

 

[catman]

Personally I am GLAD to see kids at the gym (working out). with the epic rise in childhood obesity, its exciting to see fathers taking time with their sons. At my gym there are two divorced fathers who bring their sons occasionally- they really spend time with them encouraging them to work out. As to the locker room, the fathers are nude around their sons- which is healthy- I do notice some of the other men keep a towel wrapped sometimes or. I am just me (ie I strip down and do what I need to do).

One thing I like, he lets the 2 boys shower together in the handidcapped/bigger shower and the dads do keep an eye on them. I have also seen the other men be more respectful (granted my gym is fairly 'straight'- any activity I have seen go on is very random and secluded (ie in the sauna its not an 'orgy' atmosphere).

I am very glad to see kids using the gym (granted I do not want unsupervised or 'bratty' kids- there is a day care).

At other gyms of this chain I am not so sure (one is notorious for sex to the point they put a BIG window in the sauna), another branch has a t.v. area as you walk in (very 'posh') and not uncommon to see men sitting in the 2 chairs in various states watching sports scores or business news.

Now IF You see anything inappropriate towards the children or vise versa (ie men staring at them or anything 'creepy' or, the children 'acting up' I would also say something to the parents. (we once had a son squirting soap everywhere and one of the guys said something, the dad took action immediately ("Billy, NO.")

 

[max90]

Couple years back I wrote a post about a father who would come to the gym with his young son. The kid wasn't majorly young but def. a minor. I thought it was odd and uncomfortable for me to see this kid there while naked men ...hung or not...just walked around. I think we should not hide "real world" experiences from our kids but I also think they should be kept innocent as long as possible. No need to rush a child into maturity. Well I made a stink about how minors shouldn't be allowed in the gym and eventually left. Well now my new gym membership is up and i miss my old gym. Would anyone go back to a gym you left on bad terms with?

Any for those that don't know the back story:

1. This kid was a minor.....I think because of nudity you should be 18. You have to be 18 to get into a rated R movie.

2. His dad was part of the squash league and hung out nude half the time so the poor kid stayed there waiting while he talked.

3. And yes I did change my work out hours at the time so I didnt have to be there at the same time...til it got too inconvenient and I left.

Should I apologize even if I feel I was in the right? BTW the gym is invitation only for memberships.

I can't disagree more with you.
In a way, I feel sorry for you. The way you look at the world is so narrow minded!

It's about a boy who is going to the gym with his dad, what on earth is wrong with that? And yes, there are older guys walking around naked, but isn't that normal in a lockerroom? Should you keep a child away from the things in life that are normal?
So you're going to wake your son up on his 18th birthday, saying "Well son, today is the day. You're old enough to enter the lockerroom! You can legaly see another man's penis today!" Pathetic.


And the question isn't "why does a young male need so see older naked men?", the question is "why shouldn't he?". What's wrong with that?
Why do some guys immediatly think that that's innapropriate? It says a lot about their own minds!


But let me guess, you're either from the US or from the 18th century?


And an off-topic question: Do you Americans still believe that you live in a 'free country' if there will be a law against minors in lockerrooms?

 

[max90]

why does a young male need to see older naked men?
that sounds just basically fucked up to me

They don't need to see older naked men, but it should be normal. It should be possible!

 

[LeeEJ]

But let me guess, you're either from the US or from the 18th century?

Sometimes I think it's the same thing.

And an off-topic question: Do you Americans still believe that you live in a 'free country' if there will be a law against minors in lockerrooms?

Nope, although I think the "no minors" notion has a lot of root causes.

 

[ballmantx]

I agree that there should be no shame in nudity and the locker room is the right place to see this. My concern isn't the child seeing what else is around in terms of what other men look like, but vice versa at all times. I am always concerned that we never know what type of men are out there and taking a peek. I had an experience in a public shower at a beach at around 11 years of age where a man showering next to me (probably in his 50s or 60s) just would not take his eyes off my penis. My father was not in there with me to keep anything from happening and nothing did, but it was very uncomfortable. My suggestion is to keep your children close at all times.

 

[TheRob]

They don't need to see older naked men, but it should be normal. It should be possible!

ok but there is no WHY anywhere in this conversation
besides the bottom line here is this guy is uncomfortable with it, the only adivce to really be given is to work around it by not having to be around something that makes you uncomfortable
instead half the fruitcakes on this thread are just telling him he's WRONG for bein uncomfortable
we don't get to PICK what does and dosn't make us uncomfortable

 

[LeeEJ]

instead half the fruitcakes on this thread are just telling him he's WRONG for bein uncomfortable
we don't get to PICK what does and dosn't make us uncomfortable

<--- Not a fruitcake.

He can be as uncomfortable as he wants, but I'll be damned if he's going to impose his opinion on the gym's policies.

If he can't deal with the normal occurrence of having naked people of every age, race, and size (particularly waistlines) in a locker room -- which is where people disrobe and shower off all the funk they've produced in their workout, fer chrissakes -- he either needs to grow up and join the rest of society or just do what some people do and walk from the weight room to his car.

Nobody's forcing him to use the shower. He can't force people to not use the shower that their memberships have given them the privilege to use.

 

[B_RedDude]

You must have had a nice one when you were eleven:biggrin1:

I agree that there should be no shame in nudity and the locker room is the right place to see this. My concern isn't the child seeing what else is around in terms of what other men look like, but vice versa at all times. I am always concerned that we never know what type of men are out there and taking a peek. I had an experience in a public shower at a beach at around 11 years of age where a man showering next to me (probably in his 50s or 60s) just would not take his eyes off my penis. My father was not in there with me to keep anything from happening and nothing did, but it was very uncomfortable. My suggestion is to keep your children close at all times.