Mum's 'disgusting' post-swimming act with kids

"Please tell me I'm not the only mum who does this?"

Do you agree with this mum on her post-swim practice? Source: Instagram

It's not always easy to say "you do you" when you see something don't agree with online, especially when it comes to parenting.

A mum with 27k followers on Instagram discovered this the hard way this week, when she posed a happy video of her family enjoying a swim in a pool.

But it wasn't the swim that attracted attention - but what she did - or didn't do - afterwards that had commenters questioning her thinking.

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"Happy 'the pool counts as a bath' season"

Mum Neely Gracey posted a clip of her family by an outdoor swimming pool in what seems to be a water park. 

Text over the vision reads, "Happy 'the pool counts as a bath season' to all who participate," in reference to it being summer in the US. 

She also captioned it, "Please tell me I'm not the only one who is celebrating."

It was a joyful moment for Neely, but a "disgusting" one for many viewers, who criticised her for not bathing her kids after being in a pool.

"Noooo wayyy man," one shocked viewer exclaimed. "Pool day means it is DEFINITELY a bath night for my kiddos. So gross, chemicals, sunscreen, sweat, pee, salt..."

This viewer agreed: "Public pools are so disgusting, and chlorine is so bad for hair and skin, so why don’t we not do this?"

Other notable comments included, "Honey, you're alone on this one," and "As a swimming instructor, wash your body and hair after swimming. It damages your skin and hair cells worse than anything!"

Many were in general disgusted that Neely would post about her habit, with one bluntly asking her, "Have you no shame?"

Finally, this viewer advised, "Girl, take this down LMAO."

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"Her hair would snap in half"

Was the internet just trying to bring a mama down, as so often happens? We asked the team at Kidspot if they showered their kids after a stint in any body of water.

Elizabeth said, "You still need to have a bath/shower after a dip in the pool. I know people say the chlorine kills everything, but no, it's just wrong not to wash."

Emily agreed: "If I didn't wash my daughter's hair after she'd been in the pool, it would snap in half. Having a paddle around in chlorine does not equal a proper bath or shower with soap! ALSO, the longer chlorine is left on the skin, the more likely it is to irritate it."

And Clara had these wise words to share: "The need for chemicals to stabilize pool water and the fact that some people admit to peeing in pools should be a clear sign to shower thoroughly. I remember being taught to always shower before and after swimming, no exceptions."

What do you think of not bathing your kids after being in the pool? Tell us in the comments on Facebook!

This article was originally published in June 2024 and was updated in September 2024. 

Originally published as Mum's 'disgusting' post-swimming act with kids