I went swimming again on Friday. This was the first time in a while I had been with Jimmy. We chose an almost perfect time to go. When I got in the pool, there was one man swimming very slowly in the fast lane, one woman swimming moderately slowly in the middle lane, one woman swimming not very fast in the slow lane, one woman doing some resistance exercises on the side of the non-laned area and two women in shower caps floating on rubber rings in the small pool. The woman in the slow lane left to be replaced by a suspiciously young and posey man. When we left the non-laned area we were replaced by a heavily pregnant woman. It was nice, no one getting in anyone's way.
Of course, when I went in the changing room, the school kids and mothers were beginning to assemble. There was one boy walking and half running round the changing room - he barged by me when I was going to my locker, nearly causing me to drop my towel. Then he got into one of the half cubicles (the walls are about 5') climbed on the bench and started looking around.
I ended up having a word with his mother, who, surprise surprise, was at the other side of the changing room. She said he was eight but she couldn't let him go in the men's changing room. I refrained from saying it's about she unfastened him from her apron strings and instead went all empathetic. But I insisted she kept her child under supervision, and stopped him running round and climbing up. I also pointed out that it wasn't a child only session, and I understood why she wouldn't let him go into the men's changing room, but it works both ways, my privacy matters.
I just wish sometimes that people would apply a bit of common sense and, more importantly, accept their responsibility for their child. I am sure she would be uncomfortable to be dressing while a pubescent boy (he was a mature 8, more like a 10, I think, at least) leered at her. I am also sure that the older larger women, and the pubescent girls resented it as much. I do get so very sick of these parents who think that the world should stop for their brats. I also think that running and climbing in a swimming pool changing room - it's wet - is a very stupid thing to do.
Just as a parenthesis I was reading a website recently. I wanted to learn more about portrait photography and came onto a site of a photographer who takes pictures of women naked. He stated the rules by which he works and that models should reasonably expect from other photographers. Bear in mind that these women (and men, too) are being photographed naked. For all I know, they may include sexually provocative shots. Also, this is a contractual relationship between two professionals. He stated that the model must have a private area for undressing and dressing, behind a screen or curtain if not a separate room. This chimes with my feeling - and discrete passing observation of other women in changing rooms and on beaches - that the act of (un)dressing is far more intimate than the act of actually being naked.
