Incident at the YMCA - any thoughts?

[connorsdad]

Recently I rejoined the YMCA to help work off the holiday pounds. Also not to mention but it is a place that I can go nude at and feel somewhat that I am getting more relaxed in nude situations so my first resort trip will go over fine.

Anyway, usually I go nude in the locker room, changing, showering, etc. as normal as well as other guys. The locker room is a family locker room, male only and females if they are under 5 years old are allowed to be in the men's family locker room. Now, it is nothing to see boys and men nude in here and the occasional nude girl under 5 years old. Been this way for years.

But tonight at the Y, my son and I had gone swimming, were in the shower, it is an open shower, and rinsing off nude. A father and his little girl came in, she was 4 or 5 and I became extremely uncomfortable with being nude in front of this girl and did everything I could to keep her from seeing me. She did do some staring at Connor at times, it was almost as she never had seen anyone other then her dad nude.

I wanted to say something to the father but did not as it was all I could do from running out. When we left the showers, thier locker was, of course, right next to ours, and this made it even worst.

The girl and father both changed, both were nude, but she kept staring towards us and had to be directed by her dad at times to keep getting dressed and stay focused.

What actually does this mean? Does this mean that I will never be comfortable in a nudist resort / situation? Or was it a normal response and others would have felt the same way? It was kind of a wake up call.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

[DenitaLC]

Although girls under 5 are allowed in this locker room, it is still a 'mens' area. I am guessing that you were most likely taken off guard, especially being caught in the shower, nude when they came in. Sometimes you just have to tell yourself that you aren't doing anything wrong. So many men seem to fear being nude around children do to the programing society has created about preditors/victims. I'm sure the little girl was just curious seeing another dad/child nude in there. Kids stare, they don't know better and mean nothing ill by it.

I think you'll find in a nudist setting, when everyone is nude, you will feel more comfortable because it is the norm. Don't give up on visiting a resort and don't let this small bump in the road change your freedom at the Y.


Dee

[Shanghaist]

My situation is reverse in that I have a little girl under five. I take her in the locker room at our club in Shanghai. But out of respect for the other men, I keep her away from looking (actually staring which she shouldn't do in any nudist context, but little ones are quite curious). She is used to seeing me naked, so that rarely happens.

[David77]

I think you'll find in a nudist setting, when everyone is nude, you will feel more comfortable because it is the norm. Don't give up on visiting a resort and don't let this small bump in the road change your freedom at the Y.

I very much agree with the above quote.

I think I know how you feel when showering and changing at the Y with a five year old girl stareing at you. Our several Ys in our county have the same policy of allowing girls up to 5 years old to use the men's locker room. After that age, the father and daughter can go together to one of the family shower/changing rooms (sometimes called "special needs rooms"). I have delayed showering until after the girl got out of the shower room, as I did not want possible stares.

However, at a naturist resort where everyone is nude, it makes no difference. At many resorts males and females shower together. People there have learned not to stare. At the resort, there is nothing new for children to stare at, as they have been seeing a collection of nude persons for some time.

[nudiarist]

Something very similar happened to me a couple of years ago at the Y. I was nude in the shower and a man brought his little girl right within view. I think that I did the right thing by continuing with my shower as if they were not even there.

Children will sometimes stare, especially if they are not familiar with social nudity. It's just normal curiousity. At a resort, kids might look, but they lose interest quickly and get on with normal play.

There's no reason to feel uncomfortable, but it's understandable why you reacted the way you did because a nude child staring at your nudity is not something you expect to happen in a locker room. At a nudist resort, you will not have that problem because everyone there is of the same mindset.

Good luck!

nudiarist
Diary of a Nudist
http://www.nudiarist.blogspot.com

[narod]

Our YMCA is the same way. There tend to be a couple girls in the men's locker room, each time Iv'e been in there. My wife says it's the same way in the women's locker room with mothers and their boys. However, she says the boys usually go about their business, and don't stare. I've been in the locker room, in the gang shower, when the middle school aged boys swimming team is showering before or after swim team pracice. There have been small girls in there, also. Sometimes the boys freak out. I just go on as if the girls aren't there. I have actually had women ask me to take their sons in the men's locker room, after swimming, and stay with them until they are ready to come out of the locker room. That's fine. But I'm not sure most parents are that trusting.

[vanesa1017]

I agree. You were not doing anything wrong. It might feel awkward because that is your first time in that sort of situation but if you keep going to the Y it will probably not be the last. It in fact will probably be the norm which is a good thing because you will get used to that sort of thing. Just smile, shower, get dressed and don't pay it any mind, there is nothing wrong at all in that situation.

[walter05]

I have found this to be embarrassing in a men's room. This is particularly an issue at a rest area.

Men are afraid to send their daughters into the women's rest room alone. Sometimes the daughters are clearly up to 10.

If I am standing at a urinal, and a young girl stares, I will look at the father and say he is invading my privacy.

The father will say she has seen it before.

I agree that it is embarrassing.

[Lord Drakkus]

It's just natural childhood curiosity. I think it's more common for the little girls to stare because it's much less common for little girls to be in that situation than it is for a little boy. There are more single mothers than single fathers, and by extension there would have to be more mothers in the locker rooms with their sons, than men in the locker rooms with their daughters.

The simple fact that the father brought his daughter in there says a lot, as well. He should know that there's likely to be naked men in there, and therefore has no valid reason to be upset if you're nude. If he does get upset, just politely tell him that you're there for a specific purpose, and that it requires nudity to be done properly.

If the girl stares, try not to worry about it. She's just a kid and doesn't know better yet. Just look at her, smile politely, and continue with your business. The less of an issue we make of it, the less of an issue the children will have with it. And that will benefit everybody in the end.

[Nude123]

I would have continued on with what I doing and engage the girl in conversation. Ask her name. Does she have any brothers or sisters? Favorite toy or doll. Does she like school? Normal kid conversation to break her stare and make you look less of an object of interest. This would also get your mind off of her staring because she would be looking you in the eye instead of in the penis. Kids are kids and learning that you can talk with them will help them to learn about growing up both in the clothed and naked world. I run across kids all the time in my job and talking to them makes them feel grown up and impresses the parents that you are not a snot