Subject: Are parents too carefree these days?
Posted by: ElusiveDream
Date: Mar 20 17
It seems to me that parents are a bit too carefree these days. When I go to my local indoor pool, there's always at least one parent (usually a mother) who can't be bothered to take their children into a change-room to get dressed. They just strip the kids naked right next to the pool in full view of other people. Every so often, a small group of school students come in for a swimming lesson and some of the adults accompanying them have cameras. Considering the fact that some parents allow their kids to wander completely naked around the pool area, having other people there with cameras is a bit of a concern, I think, because you never know who those people are taking photos of.
So, do you think parents are too carefree these days?
Posted by: ElusiveDream
Date: Mar 20 17
It seems to me that parents are a bit too carefree these days. When I go to my local indoor pool, there's always at least one parent (usually a mother) who can't be bothered to take their children into a change-room to get dressed. They just strip the kids naked right next to the pool in full view of other people. Every so often, a small group of school students come in for a swimming lesson and some of the adults accompanying them have cameras. Considering the fact that some parents allow their kids to wander completely naked around the pool area, having other people there with cameras is a bit of a concern, I think, because you never know who those people are taking photos of.
So, do you think parents are too carefree these days?
28 replies. On page 1 of 2 pages. 1 2
13LuckyLady 
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Some parents...maybe. Not all parents. Reply #1. Mar 20 17, 4:56 AM |
supersal1
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ED, your post comes across as rather judgemental. How on earth do you know why some people get their children ready by the pool, have you ever tried getting a small child ready in a cramped cubicle? To say that the parent can't be bothered is a sweeping assumption. I'd imagine it's 'usually the mother' because it's usually the mother who takes their children for their swimming lessons, or perhaps Dad is taking care of the older children in the pool. I'd imagine that a photographer zooming in on a small child's nudity would be spotted fairly easily. If someone is interested in taking photos of small children, then they're not going to be that bothered if they're naked or wearing a small swimming costume. A lot of public swimming pools here ban photography inside the pools, perhaps that's a better way to go. On the whole I don't think parents are too carefree these days. The freedom to just be a child is gradually being eroded though. Reply #2. Mar 20 17, 5:27 AM |
| supersal1
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Sorry, meant to add - how about judging the perverts who take the photos, rather than the parents? Reply #3. Mar 20 17, 5:27 AM |
MiraJane
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From www.dictionary.com carefree: without worry or anxiety Synonyms 1. lighthearted, joyous, elated, cheerful, gleeful, blithe. Parents, probably the mothers, changing their toddlers into and out of bathing suits at the pool without anxiety. People at the pool taking pictures to remember lighthearted, fun times. Are the parents too carefree? In this situation, while the parents need to watch the children to make sure they don't drown, having a carefree attitude is the right attitude to have while enjoying the day at the pool. Elusive, why do you focus on the negative in life? And if there isn't something negative, you burrow deep to find something negative to fret over. Reply #4. Mar 20 17, 8:13 AM |
| 13LuckyLady
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I prefer to watch the fun when at the pool..that and ensuring no one needs help. The face of a child, or adult, when they discover they can swim....AWESOME If you seek the negative, negative is exactly what you will find... Hi, MiraJane! Reply #5. Mar 20 17, 8:47 AM |
mask100
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Points made by superal1 resonate well with me. Gone are the days when as a kid you were allowed to roam free outside with other kids till sunset. Nowadays, kids are set on mobile devices and you can draw your own conclusions from there. Reply #6. Mar 20 17, 9:00 AM |
| 13LuckyLady
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My husband and I were discussing how you don't see children riding bikes, playing in yards and parks, skipping rope and so on. Playing hopscotch, jacks, four-square and tetherball are not just games...they teach coordination. No wonder neighborhoods seem too quiet and less friendly. Our children are too soon adults. Reply #7. Mar 20 17, 9:05 AM |
ElusiveDream
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My local pool doesn't just have small single change-rooms, there are also larger change-rooms designed for use by elderly and disabled visitors as well as parents with young children. There are plenty of change-rooms available and who wants to see someone else's kids, especially little boys, wandering around in public completely naked? As for the people with cameras, unless you ask them, you don't know who they're taking photos of. They might be innocently photographing their own children but on the other hand, they might be taking photos of you without your permission. Reply #8. Mar 20 17, 5:00 PM |
| supersal1
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That reminds me of the time I worked in Saudi Arabia. Some of the female junior medical staff and students were refusing to observe, or have anything to do with the circumcision of infant boys. The Consultant had to bring in an imam to tell them it was perfectly ok. In your original post you said that the children were being changed at the poolside, now they are wandering around naked? I think most people can cope with a glimpse of a small child's body without being upset or stimulated. My local pool has larger 'family' style changing rooms. These were very often used by disabled people, giggling teenagers and families with older children who should have been perfectly capable of getting themselves changed. However, a lot of people are a bit paranoid in places like that and don't like the idea of their children changing on their own. I'm sure if there are clean and dry changing facilities available most people would prefer to use them. Why don't you ask one of these mothers why they are changing their children poolside, there's probably a good reason. Reply #9. Mar 20 17, 5:43 PM |
| MiraJane
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Hello Lyndi. Elusive, why do object to toddler boys being naked by the poolside more than toddler girls? When there is a crowd of people in one place and people are taking pictures, there is an excellent chance strangers will be included in photographs taken. Why change a child by the pool are rather than gather up all their belongings, probably other children, belongings of the child or children, capture the child that needs changing but is having fun by the pool and doesn't want to miss a second by having to leave? Because it is easier. What is it you are having a problem with exactly? Children being changed at poolside? Very small boys being naked at poolside? Children being photographed? You being included in someone's photograph? Reply #10. Mar 20 17, 6:56 PM |
veronicavee
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Surely it's the same as changing a child at the beach! Reply #11. Mar 20 17, 7:54 PM |
| MiraJane
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The only difference is chlorine smell in the swimsuits instead of sand in everything! Really that sand gets into places you don't realize were places anything could get into. Of course going to an indoor pool eliminates the chance of sunburn too. I used to go swimming 3-4x a week at an indoor pool during non-summer months. One bitter cold winter night, I went to my car without completely drying my hair. When I got home, which wasn't far away, I realized my hair was frozen! I was braking it off like icicles. After a minute or so, the novelty of having frozen hair wore off. After that night, I wore a towel on my head going to the car on cold nights. Why didn't I dry my hair before leaving? The only option to dry my hair were hand dryers and those would have taken a very long time to dry long hair. At 11pm, when I usually was leaving the pool, I wasn't in the mood to use a hand dryer to semi dry my hair. Reply #12. Mar 20 17, 9:18 PM |
| ElusiveDream
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I can understand that it may be easier for parents to get their children dressed beside the pool, but if change-rooms are available, why not use them? That's what they're there for. I can also understand that when you're in a crowded area, yes, you're likely to be caught in the background of other people's photos, but what happens if it turns out you're being personally photographed by a stranger without them having your permission? What would you do if a photo of yourself in your swimwear suddenly popped up on the internet for everyone to see? Whilst at the pool today, I noticed the fathers had enough sense to take their children into the change-rooms, but a number of mothers just stripped the kids naked where they were standing. OK, some of them had prams, but the family change-rooms are equipped with showers and toilets and are big enough to accommodate parents with prams. I don't know about anyone else, but whilst enjoying a swim at my local pool, I don't particularly want to see a little boy's penis or a little girl's bare bottom. I know some people aren't going to agree with me, but in my own personal opinion, it's inappropriate for children to be seen completely naked in public places. Reply #13. Mar 20 17, 10:23 PM |
| MiraJane
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Elusive, go to reply 10 in this thread. Read the second to last paragraph. That paragraph gives one possible reason why children are changed poolside. You don't mention how far the changing rooms are from the pool in your repeated complaints. You also haven't mentioned if there is staff at the pool besides at least one lifeguard. Have you complained to them? Have you complained to the lifeguard about the incredibly offensive sight of the nudity of a toddler? Have you lost the ability to avert your eyes from a vision that distresses and disgusts you so much? I wouldn't care one whit if a photo of me in a bathing suit showed up on the Internet. Reply #14. Mar 20 17, 10:48 PM |
| ElusiveDream
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You wouldn't care if an unauthorized photo of you in your bathing suit popped up on the internet! Of the nine change-rooms at my local pool, seven are situated right next to the indoor pool, so people aren't having to walk very far to reach them. As for complaining to the lifeguards, I've gone a bit further and complained to the Aquatic Co-ordinator. Reply #15. Mar 21 17, 1:09 AM |
| MiraJane
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Good, heavens, why should I care if a picture of me showed up on the Internet, no matter what I was wearing? It sounds like you would care a great deal if an "unauthorized" photo of you show up on the Internet. Why? If you going to a public pool, you are already appearing in public in a bathing suit. Why do you object so much to appearing to a larger audience in a bathing suit? What's wrong with having a picture taken with your bathing suit on? Reply #16. Mar 21 17, 2:05 AM |
Blackdresss
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Mira, I would bet huge amounts of money if an "unauthorized" photo of you turned up on the internet, without your permission (hence, "unauthorized) and just to make things really interesting, let's add "stolen" to "unauthorized," you would care enormously. Remember -- the Internet is forever. Once it's out there, it's gone, never to be retrieved. Many internet hackers and stalkers are now in prison, but not enough of them. And it still won't solve the problem of your photo(s) floating around forever. It's illegal to even look at "unauthorized" photos on the internet. Revenge isn't a dish best served cold -- revenge is a dish that should never be served in the first place. Reply #17. Mar 21 17, 2:18 AM |
| 13LuckyLady
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Many changing areas are gross! Others are overcrowded. If you are in public, the odds are you could end up in a photo. Stalkers are not the main issue with photos appearing on the net. The main issue is family and friends who feel whatever they post is fair game. No member of my family or any friends would dare. Reply #18. Mar 21 17, 5:40 AM |
| MiraJane
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That,s a bet you would lose, Elle. Why do you and Elusive think it would be so scandalous, so horrorfying for a picture that you didn't know someone took of you in a bathing suit would show up on the Internet? Is there something wrong with wearing one? As for the photo being "unauthorized", if you are in public, you give up any claim to an expectation of privacy, no matter what you are wearing. Reply #19. Mar 21 17, 6:35 AM |
| ElusiveDream
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Why would I be bothered by a photo of me in my swimwear suddenly appeared on the internet? Because the first thing I'd be asking myself is "Who took that photo and what are they using it for?" Reply #20. Mar 21 17, 5:11 PM |
28 replies. On page 1 of 2 pages. 1 2
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