Mom Wonders If She Made a ‘Faux Pas’ by Changing Her Kids’ Clothes by the Pool During a Playdate at Someone Else’s House

A mom upset another parent during a swimming playdate.

She explained on the community forum Mumsnet that she was criticized for changing her young children—a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old—into swimsuits by the pool at another person’s house.

The mom said she “brought all their swimming stuff and was changing them by the pool,” while trying to “protect their modesty a little bit.”

However, another parent repeatedly told her to “go inside” while she was changing them. Since she was almost done with the quick change, she continued changing her children where she was sitting.

When her youngest got out of the pool, she noticed that nobody was “out where we were,” so she started changing him by the pool again. The same mom then entered the area with her daughter and warned her not to look. Once more, the other parent told her to go inside.

The mother of two then moved inside to change her daughter when it was time for her to get dressed.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” she wrote. “But then I thought, did I make a massive faux pas there? I didn’t expose my kids, but at the same time, I was also not too concerned about the whole thing.”

She explained that she was “naturally” helping her children get dressed and asked if she was being unreasonable. She also admitted she might be “overthinking” the other mom’s behavior.

People in the comments said they would have changed their kids by the pool too, while still respecting other parents’ boundaries.

“I would’ve done exactly what you did, but equally I know a few who would act like the other person,” one reader replied.

Another Mumsnet user said they would have done the same, but noted, “The first time the other mum mentioned going inside then I would have taken the hint.”

“She was obviously uncomfortable,” the commenter added.

“I’d have been happy to change my own kids exactly as you did if no one minded,” another person said, noting that since the other parent “did mind,” she should have gone inside.