Monday, August 02, 2004

When does one kick little boys out of the ladies changing room?

It was a struggle getting to the gym and back this morning, and still get to work on time by 11.30am. Thankfully my new work-out programme is more intense, but shorter.

Afterwards in the changing room, I was a little uncomfortable with the presence of a couple of boys there; they looked about eight or ten years old. The sight of them made me stop in my tracks, then turn around and undress in one of the cubicles instead of in the main communal area where I usually go.

I'm used to seeing mums bringing their little boys and girls with them - they are normally toddlers and I figure that if it's okay with the mother then it's okay with me. But I don't really want to share a changing room with boys who are much older. Especially these days, kids seem to become worldly at a much younger age than when I was a kid. If I'd seen them with their mother, it would've been almost okay - almost. Perhaps I'm being prudish - after all, when I was in Germany it seemed that everyone just changed in front of each other. But if it's a case of 'when in Rome', then surely in NZ that isn't what people do.

Needless to say I didn't go as far as confronting the boys, assuming that their mother was somewhere around (and also being a conflict-avoider).

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