Father brings his daughter into the men's locker room

When I was about 4 or 5 my dad took me into a men's bathroom because I was at a county fair only with him and I had to pee. What was he supposed to do? Send me into the bathroom on my own? No, he did what any good parent would do and chaperoned his young child into the bathroom. He got me into a stall, I did my business, washed my hands, and left. I was not traumatized by the male penises peeing into the urinals. Situations like this are not traumatic unless there's a reason for them to be traumatic. This little girl's experience probably WILL be traumatic, because you came yelling at her dad and made a big deal out of something that didn't need to be confrontational at all.

I get that he should have used the family facilities if they existed. The better and more appropriate thing for you to do was just suggest to him nicely that in the future he should use the family facilities - that maybe it would be more comfortable since he had his child with him. If he made a big deal after that then you could have spoken with the staff. Instead you made yourself look like an *kitten* and probably really did traumatize this girl.

I'm more upset about people sitting bare *kitten* in the sauna then a kid seeing another human nude, only in the home of the "free" would people make such a big deal about this, all over the world people walk around nude and the world hasn't stopped spinning yet.

Right, but different societies have different norms. That's not a bad thing. We teach our children what is normal in our own culture. It's fine to teach them that it is normal elsewhere or that you don't like that rule very much, but they do need to learn what is normal for where they live.

You and I live in two different societies and cultures then. In mine its perfectly normal to take my daughters into the bathroom with me and in the occasional locker room. There certainly are regional differences in these United States (assuming you are speaking of the United States).

What the world is really like eh. I am 27, when I was 8 there was a lady who ran a daycare on our street. Everyone thought they were saints, they went to church several times a week, they organized community things, etc. Few years later, see a ton of cop cars around the house and her two teenage boys being taken out in cuffs. Turns out the boys were molesting the little children when they "helped" and worked at the daycare (4 different children were discovered to have been victims and it had been going on for several months). I used to babysit one of the little girls who this happened to when I was in high school that poor child was so messed up I can't even begin to tell you. That was in a pretty decent sized city, I am all too aware of how "some of" the world really is. I am sure it is not like that everywhere but I am a parent I don't gamble with my children. Which is my only point if it was avoidable it should have been avoided.

I don't think people realize that children develop long term memory at around the age of 2 or 3. At 4 - this girl will remember this. Its like moms who breast feed past 5,6,7years of age. They don't realize that there kid is going to grow up remembering that..."experience".

There is nothing horrifying about this experience except that some man yelled at her dad in the locker room. I'm sure she'll remember THAT forever. There's nothing wrong with a child seeing nudity in a non-sexual setting. Even if she remembered that forever, so what?

But really, the original poster really created an unforgettable situation.

I'm more upset about people sitting bare *kitten* in the sauna then a kid seeing another human nude, only in the home of the "free" would people make such a big deal about this, all over the world people walk around nude and the world hasn't stopped spinning yet.

Right, but different societies have different norms. That's not a bad thing. We teach our children what is normal in our own culture. It's fine to teach them that it is normal elsewhere or that you don't like that rule very much, but they do need to learn what is normal for where they live.

You and I live in two different societies and cultures then. In mine its perfectly normal to take my daughters into the bathroom with me and in the occasional locker room. There certainly are regional differences in these United States (assuming you are speaking of the United States).

I have 3 girls, I have took them in the mens room many times, I took showers with my mom when I was a kido.we are all good. nude is not bad! Oh and I live in the great country of Texas = )

Sorry, why is this inappropriate (other than the family room thing)? What the hell happens in the locker rooms? I assume people are mostly civilized.

These people must think that the men's locker room is one big orgy......or that the men in there "sword fight" or something......I've never been in one myself, but I assume that it's just men either getting dressed, undressed, drying off or getting into the shower.

My views on this: I don't think it is your place to tell the father how to raise his child. I am completely flabbergasted by the responses on here comparing allowing a child to watch porn and seeing a naked individual get dressed. The man who is bringing his 4 year old daughter into the locker room is not the problem, the people who are sexualizing the experience are problems!! I agree with the person who stated about it being acceptable in different cultures, but at the same time people like the OP need to learn how to take a chill pill and stop being so friggen stuffy.

Didn't read all of the replies. But that is child abuse. Think about it. If a man exposed himself to a four year old we would have him thrown in jail.

QFT

Child abuse? Really? There are many cultures in which being naked is acceptable.

As for the scenerio of someone exposing them self to a child, that is completely different context. The motivation behind that is sexual and is often a precursor to other behaviour.

^This.

I don't know how a lot of you would have functioned in bilbical times.