7 yo DD told by teacher she had to share her towel with another girl - AIBU to be unhappy about this?

[VelvetEmbers]

Y3 have just started swimming, and this week it's every afternoon.

Last night DD's towel was so sopping wet it looked like she'd thrown it in the pool. She told me she'd "had to share with Anna" (not her real name). Apparently Anna only had a small towel so the teacher told DD she had to share her larger towel.

Wouldn't have been quite so bad had she dried first and handed it over, but apparently they "both dried together".

Sharing towels is an absolute no-no as far as I'm concerned, for hygiene reasons, but I've been on MN for many years and I know some of my views are odd. I also realise that what a 7 yo reports as the truth can be a different version to that of the teacher. BUT assuming this is what happened, WWYD?

What about if you have guests are they given their own towels in case they want to use the loo?

I think it's funny that people are so weird about towels.

I shouldn't think there was much in the way of vigorous genitalia drying going on after a kids' swimming class.

I would do nothing (and we have separate towels at home)

I would check with the teacher what really happened, but I would also tell DD not to share her towel again. I certainly wouldn't want any child of mine sharing a towel as you can pass on warts and verucas as well as the things mentioned above. When I was at school it was drummed into me never to share a hair brush because of the prevalence of nits (we never once had them in our family) and this is along the same lines in my book.

Athetes foot, worms, ringworm, scabies all can be spread through touch or sitting on the same carpet etc You're just as likely to catch them on the tube or bus.

I would be fine. Really really fine. What do you think will happen if they share a towel?

What about if you have guests are they given their own towels in case they want to use the loo?

Staying overnight guests yes. Visiting guests no. I don't have a problem with towels being shared for hand drying purposes

My DS got nits loads of times, I don't think he did any hair brush sharing.

I'd like to think that if I was Anna's mum and had possibly packed a flannel instead of a towel as we were dashing through the door that someone would take pity and offer to share. A random act of kindness I think!

I definitley wouldn't be happy about this and would be raising the issue with the teacher concerned.

Ask the teacher for real version of what happened. I wouldnt be happy either but sounds like one off and if anna had no towel would else could the school do? She cant put her clothes back on her wet body and go back into school. Not nice. Difficult one

When a friend of mine was ofsteded they insisted children are not allowed to share hand towels. Personally I would be annoyed with the teacher

I wouldn't be happy for the reason my daughter gets bad bouts of thrush and I'd be worried about her passing it on

I agree with YouTheCat's posts, check first but if your DD was right then politely ask that it doesn't happen again.

If it is as your DD said, it might just be that the teacher hadn't considered that it could be a problem and would be glad that it had been flagged up for the future. The scabies example is a good one because if you haven't had to deal with it then you wouldn't consider it!

I really wouldnt give a shit.

FWIW I am not a towel sharer. Hand yes, body no.

Feel sorry for Anna if she hadn't a proper towel but I don't see why this fell to your DD having to share just because the teacher decided that. Difficult.

My friend's FIL likes an evening bath, even when the PIL are babysitting for her and returning to their own home same night.
He has used her towel every time - "oh it's fine I just used the blue one in the bathroom" - even though she now asks him beforehand if he will be bathing and tells him she has left out a clean towel for him if he is. He cannot understand at all why she has a problem with this! She gets furious just talking about it!

I really don't think I would be bothered.

The story doesn't quite add up.

1. I very much doubt a teacher would ask a child to share because another child had "only a small towel". You can still dry yourself with a small towel - the only issue with a small towel is privacy/covering up, and sharing won't help with that. If Anna had no towel, story is more likely.

2. 2 children using a towel wouldn't make it so sopping wet it looks as if it's been in the pool. Wetter than usual, yes. Sopping wet through, no.

Is it possible you got a bit cross with your DD (or she thought you were cross) about the state of her towel, and she came up with a story to explain how it had happened...?

As to the more general point: I'm really not bothered about towel sharing between children who have already shared a swimming class. I wouldn't want to share with a stranger but if someone in my swim class had no towel of course I'd let them share.

I'd only be cross if it happened regularly. Actually I'd like to think that if my DD forgot to take a towel, some kind classmate would share. I know my DD would help her classmates out in that situation. Otherwise the child would need to drip dry? I'd probably suggest to the teachers that they should provide a spare towel or two, incase a child forgets to bring theirs with them. I think that would be sensible, but no doubt the school will say no.

Chill. My DD forgot her suit one day and used a friend's spare one...they're ten. They didn't mind...sharing is good.

Oh yuck! We don't share towels in this house. I wouldn't be very impressed if the dc's shared at swimming.

Poor teacher. I can't believe people are counselling having a "quiet word" over something so utterly trivial. Sharing is good.

That's grim and I wouldn't be happy. It's not your daughter's fault the kid came ill prepared.