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?

don't understand all the molluscum references either. DS has had molluscum for a year. DCs share towels and all sorts. It's never been transmitted between them. If it was as ragingly contagious as all that we'd all have it, given they sleep in my bed 6 nights out of seven and we therefore basically share sheets. It's obviously contagious (hence the name) but a) actually doesn't seem to be very transmittable unless you have weeping open wounds and b) just yet another tedious childhood problem but not a major issue.

And swimming pools are just huge vats of wee solution. So a total germ fest that gets neutralised to a degree by the chlorine but it's clearly not pure spring water! Unless you are going to get a swimming pool per child, or at the very least, their own private walkway back to the changing room, a shared towel is still no biggie.

It's not hygiene for me - I dry mugs on my dressing gown when the tea towels look too grubby . I just don't like the idea of an authority figure telling a child to share.

I don't really like the idea that children should be expected to share, full stop. Yes, sometimes it's nice to do that and it makes the world go round, but only if you want to. I'm an adult. If I want to eat my chocolate all to myself, I'll do it. Actually, probably I'll keep it in my pocket for when I'm alone.

In this case, if the towel really was too small, I'd have tracked down some paper towels or sent poor Anna home with bits of disintegrated toilet paper stuck to her and a note - in her swimming bag, not stuck to her bum.

I wouldn't have even asked another child to volunteer, just in case an angry mum complained. I'm not scared of people, but if a mum complained I think she'd be within her rights. I would. I'd politely tell the teacher that my child does not lend personal items unless she wants to and even then, in some cases - clear hygiene risks, or the sharing of valuable or breakable items - I'd expect the teacher to over-rule it if she saw it in time.

That's not to say OP is wrong to object on hygiene grounds. I wouldn't, but I don't get to say what she wants or is comfortable with.

Others wouldn't agree with my views on encouraging/coercing children to share or their dignity - the concept of which has been questioned. That's okay.

I'm saying that if you asked my child to share a personal item, with the power that any adult, especially a teacher has over a small child, I'd be one of those mothers who's talked about in the staff room and I wouldn't care.

Obviously, if it's an emergency, all bets are off. But this wasn't an emergency. Anna had a small towel. If she hadn't, as the adult, I'd deal with it on my own and deal with the parents later.

I forgot D's towel one day and a.day from school dried him off with his. Me er thought anymore of it

Damn auto correct what I meant to say was I forgot D's towel one day and a kind dad from school dried him off and I never thought anymore of it

I would tell dd that if it happens again she dries first then friend can use it. It's not a big issue but worms would be the only thing.

Only if the towel breaks the skin of the spot surely? Molluscum is only contagious when popped then anything in the way of the exploding bacteria gets infected. If you put plasters over the spots they go away as if by magic as they are contained. (Been there, got the t-shirt etc)

I am 29 and have dried myself using a hand towel after shower as I forgot to bring a big one in to bathroom. Wonder why Anna couldn't?

I don't think YABU and honestly, so the child only had a small towel? Well I could manage with a small towel and there is much of me :)

I am eternally grateful my kids are no longer at school, all those bugs, nits and illness and stuff, they are so much healthier.

And swimming pools are just huge vats of wee solution. So a total germ fest Wee is pretty much sterile.

This all seems quite odd to me. Having grown up in a hot country where we swam almost every day, shared towels, shared swimmers, played all the normal close-contact kid's games in just swimmers etc etc
I can honestly say I've never heard of anyone catching anything from a towel and I've never come across molluscum and we never had any more nits, or ringworm or anything else than English children who rarely (by comparison) partake in these barely clothed activities.
It seems to me that if these skin conditions are a major problem in your area, then blaming towels is probably barking up the wrong tree.

I wouldn't like it and would ask the teacher what really happened. If as your dd described I would ask that Anna's mum be asked to supply an appropriate towel next time. I would also consider packing my dd with a second small towel in case Anna's mum is just frigging useless.

Not sure scabies (in this day and age) is a worry really, but worms possibly, nits definitely, warts and verrucas yes probably.

We don't share towels in the home between family members, and certainly wouldn't outside it. Yuk. The thought of drying my face on a cloth that has dried someone else's anus or genitals is just gross gross gross. Boak. Seriously.

'Fraid I'm with Julius and a few others. I just use the driest one there at home.

This wouldn't bother me.

This fear of germs etc is really unhealthy! No wonder we've bred a generation of allergenic, auto-immune ridden children!

Surfsup, I'm with you 100%, and had the same experience. Never heard of a kid catching something from a towel after swimming in my life. I don't get the fuss at all.

No, I wouldn't be happy about this either

Though agree, do clarify it with the teacher - it may actually be Anna, that has told your DD that teacher says to share her towel & DD took that as truth - we've had that over DDs fruit break snacks before - not all kids are honest

but if the teacher DID ask, then tell her to, please not to do so again, as it's not hygienic, for all the reasons already mentioned above