Showering with your clothes on

By Robert Weatherall on Sep 22, 07 03:50 PM in

Its every parents (barring Kate and Gerry McCann) instinct to do all they can to protect their children. But there can be such a thing as being overprotective. Asking people to shower while wearing clothes sounds like something that could have been conjured up during the height of Victorian prudishness.

But it is actually the latest example of this country’s inexplicable and irrational fear that there is a paedophile on every street corner just waiting to pounce on our children the moment we let them out of our sight.

The latest overreaction comes from a group of (no doubt) middle class do-gooders who between shopping for organic humus at Sainsburys have nothing better to do in life than read the Daily Express and believe everything in it before drumming up a petition and demanding that SOMETHING must be done….

That’s right. A group of parents in North Tyneside have approached the local council demanding that it introduces a policy where adults using public swimming baths during the day when schoolchildren might be about must keep their swimming costumes on while showering.

And what’s more the wishy washy powers that be at the council (terrified of not wanting to be seen to be doing nothing) have agreed with the plan having put up signs in shower areas requesting people to cover up.

One concerned parent has complained it’s not appropriate his eight year old son should have to shower next to a naked stranger.

Simple answer – don’t take him to the swimming baths. These are public places where people have to get naked in order to take part in sport. The over worried simpleton then points out that those adults haven’t undergone criminal record bureaux checks unlike teachers or sports coaches – of course they haven’t they’re not in a position of authority where they can befriend a child and groom him.

Where will it end? Will people need to produce a CRB certificate before they can use public toilets and those who can’t end up wetting themselves?

Also aren’t these parents actually harming their children by not allowing youngsters to learn much needed life skills? As a youngster at my local swimming baths I can still remember the day I was in the changing rooms and saw a man rubbing himself with a big grin on his face. I learned the lesson to move away get changed quickly and avoid him in future.

I for one won’t be paying any attention to this latest piece of over reactionary rule making. After all what are the council going to do? Come in the shower and put some swimming trunks on me.

Let them try it. I’ll be down the police station and my solicitors’ office making a claim of sexual abuse faster than you can shout “panic over nothing��?.