Would you bring your 13 year old to the gym?

I bring my children with me but they are in child care. I would not make them workout if they were old enough-- it should be THEIR choice.

My son will be 12 in March and one of the things he's most excited about is he will be able to be on the exercise floor with me at our gym! I think its a great way to instill healthy habits in them!

My son also will be 12 in March. He goes to the gym with me already - 3x a week. My 19 y/o dd had a membership with me but our schedules hardly ever allowed us to go together. I went to cancel altogether when I was told I could change the other person I come with (I get a corporate membership discount for 2). Since i homeschool and hated leaving ds home alone while I was at the gym, I asked if I could put him on. Thankfully ds looks older and happened to be with me. The guy brought ds into the office, told the owner he was 12, and we got the OK.

He's an awesome workout partner. We do plenty of stretching, then cardio, then strength training. He loves the machines and gets plenty of help and encouragement from all the guys there. I think it's a great way for him to get more exercise in - and he's learning a ton!

When I was 13-18, our school had a "livefit" program for PE that ensured all students would walk over to the YMCA and get 60 minutes of exercise there every day.
From what I remember, everyone loved it.
It encouraged us to have gym buddies and enjoy physical activity.
When I was 14, my mom started taking me to Aquafit classes. That was THE BEST.
Mother-daughter bonding time, lots of laughs, and a decent burn. It was something to look forward to every week.
My dad is kind of kooky in the sense that he didn't want my sister or I to date until we were 40, but he always encouraged us to go to the gym as well. I remember him even buying us memberships.

try and figure out WHY her dad wouldn't want his daughter getting exercise.
Working out with my mom is what brought us closer together.

Yes I would if the kid wants to be there and acts apropriately. It's bad enough when adults don't know gym etiquette but with kids that aren't behaving it kinda feels like other gym patrons become unwilling babysitters and it's frustrating. I agree you should discontinue gym time with a teen if it negatively affects her self esteem or body issues. And you should monitor to make sure she isnt overdoing it. I go to the y and see plenty of kids and teens that know how to behave and seem to benefit from the facility and programs. Another thing to watch for, is she attending a class with you like zumba because YOU love it? If she isnt as into it as you but going along it isn't ideal. And I can understand if your ex is unhappy you work out for 2 hrs and your daughter is bored and waiting on you. Maybe leave her home if that is the case. I have a friend that brings her 10 year old to a class we love. It's hard but he can do it but you can tell he isn't into it and doing it half-@ssed. I'm sure there are people in the class who dont think it's right because space in the class is limited.