Woman won't buy new pool because of niece's bad menstrual hygiene. AITA?
When this woman is upset with her niece's hygiene, she asks Reddit:
"AITA For not buying a new pool due to my niece’s bad hygiene?"
I 21(f) have been asked to buy a new family pool for next summer as our current one is to small. But I’ve told my parents that I’ll only buy one if they stop letting my niece 12(f) go in the pool on her period.
She will go in the pool wearing nothing but a swimming costume , and other times she’ll take her pants ( with pad ) she’d been wearing during the day and put them on underneath. I am horrified every time she does this.
I truly believe that most people wouldn’t want to swim in a pool , knowing that someone is free bleeding into it. I am slightly sympathetic, as I know what is like to miss out on fun when you’re on your period , but I’ve never once been in a pool while on it.
We’re not getting rid of our current pool , nor any other water activities ( slide , sprinkler ect…) so I’m not excluding her from everything , it’s just the pool I would buy. I have Spoken to my niece , but she gets Such an attitude with me.
When I’ve discussed this with my family , I’m repeatedly told that I’m overreacting , If I didn’t have ocd I wouldn’t care and that I must remember she’s 12. I believe that the pool should have this rule as it’s my property , but my parents believe that it should have no rules as everyone will use it. So AITA ?
Let's see what readers thought.
significatnreak writes:
NTA sometimes our periods make us have to sit things out and that sucks but it’s a fact of life. It’s unsanitary and she can have fun with other water toys if she’s wearing a pad / on her period.
I will say - if she’s wearing a tampon, it really wouldn’t matter and especially not if the pool is properly maintained with chlorine. The pad is not proper for swimming though.
callithrix writes:
YTA I would advise a tampon for comfort & peace of mind, but she may feel too young for that. I don't see why there is an issue really. I've been swimming loads of times without a tampon. It's not like you leave a trail of blood behind like a shark attack.
Everyone's arse, gentials, body dirt & foot dirt gets taken into the pool. If we already have trace amounts of urine, faecal matter & who knows what else, I'm not sure I care about a trace amount of blood being there as well. That's why people are meant to shower, getting in/out of the pool, more than anything to do with pool chemicals.
I'm done shaming women for having periods, making women feel like periods have to be discreet/secretive, and we have to 'miss out' on anything because of them.
lisastreger writes:
YTA and anyone who says otherwise has no idea how many women who don’t use anything while in the pool on their periods. One there’s chemicals to clean the pool. Two they bleed in the pool less than regularly (it’s actually a tip for those with excessive bleeding issues).
Three you have no clue if she’s using a tampon or not because you’re not going to see it anyways. Four tampons fill with water every time and a lot of people cannot use a tampon. Five there’s more pee in your pool than any menstrual blood.