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OP....I don't think that you did anything wrong. Most folks wouldn't follow up with the parents, but better that than saying anything to the kids.
Gotta ask, did these boys have shirts on in the pool?? If it were me, I'd have snickered right back at them....But, I'm an ornery old lady....And then Dad would have probably come to my door to defend his little darlings....lol
Just seems weird that kids that age haven't seen shirtless men at pools before.
Just walk over to the pool....park yourself at the deep end....and swim and ignore kids who have not been taught public manners.
Regarding their behavior as "hazing" rather than brushing it off as something snotty said by stupid kids is giving the stupid kids way too much power over you. Their testicles haven't even dropped. They're seven and still eat their boogers. You're a grown-up, they can't haze you.
I wouldn't say "wrong", but my preference is for people to be clothed until just before they do whatever it is they needed to be in-clothed for...
For example, my husband and sons would not walk over to the pool shirtless to begin with. Another example, we used to have a neighbor who did all of his yardwork and any other outside work, shirtless. To the point where we didn't recognize him in clothes. It was awkward, IMO, to have long neighborly chat with man who appears to be naked because his tummy obstructs the view of his shorts...
I also don't like when men/boys run shirtless. Or when women/girls run with just a sports bra on. It's just too much of a sweaty skin assault on the public. Tech shirts/tanks work just fine.
Hopefully, my children would not be so rude as to taunt someone who was not fully dressed, but they would quietly comment to me if they thought someone was gratuitously naked. It's awkward. Wear a shirt!
Really? A well muscled, shirtless man is a treat for the eyes. And even if the man isn't well muscled, so what? Who ever heard of having to wear a shirt while at the pool? What is so indecent about a chest and back?
Regarding their behavior as "hazing" rather than brushing it off as something snotty said by stupid kids is giving the stupid kids way too much power over you. Their testicles haven't even dropped. They're seven and still eat their boogers. You're a grown-up, they can't haze you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wac_432
Dude, seriously? Your self-esteem is so fragile that overhearing a pair of 7-year-olds' horseplay can shatter it?
^Both of these things.
Once I was in the park and this woman was sunbathing not too far away from me. She was in a bathing suit. Luckily for her, an entire class of children walked by and a bunch of them started yelling, "Ew, she's naked!"
What's interesting is that she did not get upset and post on CD---she just ignored them.
On a recent afternoon I walked over to the pool operated by my Homeowners' Association. One of my neighbors has a pair of twin boys, about age 7. I was not wearing a shirt, as I was expecting to plunge right into the pool. No such luck, for other reasons. The children started screaming "there goes the naked man." On my return 30 minutes later, I had my t-shirt on. They again screamed "at least he's dressed this time."
Was I doing the appropriate thing to visit their father, and tell him I did not like being put in the position of having to respond to or discipline his children?
Bratty kids likely have ill-mannered parents. Ignore them and forget it, jb.
The OP handled it well. The kids sound rather strange for making such comments. They should know better. I'm sure they are the kind of kids who will say something to an overweight person as well.
The only time my kids will say something TO ME is to remark on an ill fitting swim suit where hairy butts are showing with ample butt crack displayed. We had another gentleman at our community pool who looked like a bowling ball was stuffed down his front or he hadn't read the Viagra bottle correctly and was suffering from an erection lasting 4 hours. Frankly we were all staring. He finally put a large tee shirt on and we were all thankful! No one said a thing though and I was embarrassed for him.
On a recent afternoon I walked over to the pool operated by my Homeowners' Association. One of my neighbors has a pair of twin boys, about age 7. I was not wearing a shirt, as I was expecting to plunge right into the pool. No such luck, for other reasons. The children started screaming "there goes the naked man." On my return 30 minutes later, I had my t-shirt on. They again screamed "at least he's dressed this time."
Was I doing the appropriate thing to visit their father, and tell him I did not like being put in the position of having to respond to or discipline his children?
I don't get how so many people can comment on a post who obviously didn't read it. The OP was walking from his residence to the pool run by his HOA, not walking to the pool from the locker room. A lot of HOA's actually have rules against public 'no-shirtedness', so those boys may have never seen a man walking down the street partially undressed. That is still no excuse for their rudeness, but, what's the phrase? Oh yeah, "boys will be boys".
On top of that, the OP didn't actually go right to the pool, for "other reasons", so who knows how long he lingered in the area.
when I started reading this I was thinking to my self, what country is this woman from where swiming topless is normal. Then I later realised it was man and thought, what a weird question for a man to ask. Of course its ok for a man to walk around shirtless. Don't worry about the prudes and the lil a** hole kids.
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