pyite76
Footballguy
Had a lousy experience at the YMCA last night, I'd love to hear some thoughts from the FFA. Sorry if it's long. I'm pissed. Should I be, or am I overreacting?
Backstory: There is a creepy guy at the YMCA where I take my kids for swimming lessons. The dude is just plain weird, and we've seen him there almost every time we go for lessons for the last 2 years. My kids are 5 and 8. The dude wears his suit (trunks and a shirt), a bandana on his head, headphones, and about 15 rubber bands (the kind used for physical therapy on shoulders) hanging around his neck everywhere he goes. He also wheels around a suitcase with him, around the pool and into the sauna with him. He goes in and out of the sauna numerous times, back and forth. The sauna is located in the pool area. I always knew he was "off", and perhaps suffering from some sort of mental health issues. Eccentric would be the PC way to describe him, to say the least.
As we went into the locker room after lessons, the dude is showering in the stall immediately facing the door you enter into the shower room (which connects to the locker room). He is showering with the curtain open, staring at everyone entering who entering. Dude is washing his junk, flopping it around while making eye contact with the men and their son's who are entering.
My son is 5. I have to help him in the shower, and I won't let him be alone to shower while he is so young. The only stall that is open is directly across from him and his suitcase is on the seat, wrapped in a garbage bag. He saw us trying to use the shower, apologized, and removed the suitcase while still washing himself.
We went in the shower and I began directing my boy to get down to business showering and to not screw around and waste time. I put my back to him, completely aware and on guard of his goofy behavior, to shield my son. Dude says to my back, "Why does big boy need dad to help him shower? You should let him come shower alone, you're going to give him a complex. Let the boy shower alone!". I ignored him, though I was PISSED. My son heard him, and was noticeably taken aback and did not understand why dude was talking to us and referring to him. We ignored him, hurried the shower, and went to get dressed. My son was with a friend, and he went into the lobby to meet my wife and daughter so we could leave. The whole time I was helping him get dressed and packing up, I knew I couldn't just let it go.
When my son left, I went back to the shower and stood outside and addressed the wall, outside his stall. "Don't ever speak to me or my son again. Ever." He peeked his head out, still flopping his #### around and said, "You're going to give him a complex, when I see a big guy like you terrorizing a little boy, that's what I think." I just repeated myself, "Don't ever speak to us again. Ever. Period," and walked out of the shower room. As I walked away he gave me the whole smart a$$ commentary, "Sir yes sir! Yesss SIR" in the sarcastic military-esque voice, condescending and the like. I was hot, my initial reaction was to wait for him to get dressed and kick the ever loving $hit out of him, and let him really understand I was serious. This is me in my 20's. Me without kids. Now I am able to calm down, and think first. I walked away, and went to report it to the desk.
Am I nuts or is this unacceptable behavior? IMO if you don't understand simple locker/shower room etiquette, you should not be allowed in the shower. Do you talk to strangers in the shower at the gym? I do not. I do my business quietly and get dressed. I'm still angry. The neanderthal gene in me says I ####ied out and should have left no doubt in his mind how serious I was. The responsible adult in me is proud of how I handled it.
Backstory: There is a creepy guy at the YMCA where I take my kids for swimming lessons. The dude is just plain weird, and we've seen him there almost every time we go for lessons for the last 2 years. My kids are 5 and 8. The dude wears his suit (trunks and a shirt), a bandana on his head, headphones, and about 15 rubber bands (the kind used for physical therapy on shoulders) hanging around his neck everywhere he goes. He also wheels around a suitcase with him, around the pool and into the sauna with him. He goes in and out of the sauna numerous times, back and forth. The sauna is located in the pool area. I always knew he was "off", and perhaps suffering from some sort of mental health issues. Eccentric would be the PC way to describe him, to say the least.
As we went into the locker room after lessons, the dude is showering in the stall immediately facing the door you enter into the shower room (which connects to the locker room). He is showering with the curtain open, staring at everyone entering who entering. Dude is washing his junk, flopping it around while making eye contact with the men and their son's who are entering.
My son is 5. I have to help him in the shower, and I won't let him be alone to shower while he is so young. The only stall that is open is directly across from him and his suitcase is on the seat, wrapped in a garbage bag. He saw us trying to use the shower, apologized, and removed the suitcase while still washing himself.
We went in the shower and I began directing my boy to get down to business showering and to not screw around and waste time. I put my back to him, completely aware and on guard of his goofy behavior, to shield my son. Dude says to my back, "Why does big boy need dad to help him shower? You should let him come shower alone, you're going to give him a complex. Let the boy shower alone!". I ignored him, though I was PISSED. My son heard him, and was noticeably taken aback and did not understand why dude was talking to us and referring to him. We ignored him, hurried the shower, and went to get dressed. My son was with a friend, and he went into the lobby to meet my wife and daughter so we could leave. The whole time I was helping him get dressed and packing up, I knew I couldn't just let it go.
When my son left, I went back to the shower and stood outside and addressed the wall, outside his stall. "Don't ever speak to me or my son again. Ever." He peeked his head out, still flopping his #### around and said, "You're going to give him a complex, when I see a big guy like you terrorizing a little boy, that's what I think." I just repeated myself, "Don't ever speak to us again. Ever. Period," and walked out of the shower room. As I walked away he gave me the whole smart a$$ commentary, "Sir yes sir! Yesss SIR" in the sarcastic military-esque voice, condescending and the like. I was hot, my initial reaction was to wait for him to get dressed and kick the ever loving $hit out of him, and let him really understand I was serious. This is me in my 20's. Me without kids. Now I am able to calm down, and think first. I walked away, and went to report it to the desk.
Am I nuts or is this unacceptable behavior? IMO if you don't understand simple locker/shower room etiquette, you should not be allowed in the shower. Do you talk to strangers in the shower at the gym? I do not. I do my business quietly and get dressed. I'm still angry. The neanderthal gene in me says I ####ied out and should have left no doubt in his mind how serious I was. The responsible adult in me is proud of how I handled it.