It seems that Nanny now believes that all adults are paedophiles, that at least is the inference to be drawn from the problems that Janice Turner of The Times has encountered at her local primary school swimming hole.She noted that last week her son, and 7 other boys, were banned from swimming.
Why?
They had the wrong trunks!
Her son chose to wear long surfer-style swimwear, which he has worn on many other occasions to other swimming areas.
However, Nanny's lifeguard was concerned that the pockets could fill up with water (yes that would be likely in a swimming pool) and pull him under.
However, the real reason for the ban was given by her son's teacher.
Nanny disapproves of these shorts because they may come off in the pool, not that they have ever done so before.
Should they fall off, this will afford adults a glimpse of her sons privates; Nanny of course believes that all adults are paedophiles.
Do not be alarmed that the ban is only aimed at boys, the ban is not sexist; the school also bans girls from wearing anything other than black and navy blue swim suits, lest they go transparent.
Janice poses the question:
Which is the bigger danger: the real one of a generation of children barely able to swim, or the largely imaginary one of predatory paedophiles lurking by the side of every pool?
The problem with Nanny's attitude is that creates a high level of fear in the minds of children, towards adults.
That surely can't be healthy.
Looks like Nanny really has got her knickers in a twist! As a keen open water swimmer for nearly 40 years I can offer Nanny my expertise in the security of various types of swimwear. Surf shorts (aka watershorts) are usually secured by a drawstring and will stay in place in the roughest of seas - that's after all what they are designed for. I once swam in a storm-tossed sea with 10-foot waves: my watershorts stayed on me but another swimmer's trunks were ripped off him! I've also been thrown up a beach on my face by a huge Atlantic breaker. Digging a 6-foot furrow in the sand with my nose was bad enough; I'd have died with embarassment had my watershorts come off! Pockets filling with water a problem? Pukka surf shorts don't have any.
ReplyDeletePersonally I would have thought that paedophiles would prefer seeing boys in tight revealing trunks rather than baggy surf shorts. Strikes me those responsible for dreaming up this stupid rule need to open the window of their ivory tower and take a look at the real world.
For what it's worth, a policeman friend told me recently there's no more kiddy diddling nowadays than when I was a kid fifty years ago. It's just the tabloid toilet papers whipping up scares to increase their sales to the weakminded semi-literates they target.
Finally, I swim every day and wear anything from skintight Lycra swim briefs to heavy surf shorts depending on where I am.
Pete
I guess we were all child molesters in training at the YMCA in the 50's. We all swam without suits, you didn't get molested but generally died of embarassment. The worst problem I ever encountered with surf trunks was not losing them but having my car keys come out of the stupid, little, supposedly secure, key pocket. Try that during the winter in an empty parking lot.
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