woogle

Just thought I'd share a conversation from work yesterday, during which I had several people on hysterics ! We were on the subject of things parents tell their children, such as McDonald's smells & makes you big & fat - bad parenting skills, but it stops mine from wanting to go there, anyway, my boss said something about the purple dye they put in swimming pools, to stop people having a wee in them, & I said they did it in the UK, but everyone killed themselves laughing, as they said it's just something grown-ups say to kids so they won't do it.
Now, I've always thought that they Actually did this, never occurred to me, even at 39, that it was made-up !
Please does someone know if it is an Urban Myth ? If it is, I can't believe it's took my 39 years to find out
And yes, I already know about Santa Clause & The Tooth Fairy
Does anyone else have "little white lies" for their kids?

jayr

The home ice cream delivery van (which sells tubs of ice cream rather than a cone) rings a bell to let you know that it is nearby (rather than playing Greensleves).

In my neighbourhood, the parents tell their kids that the ringing of the bell means they have run out of ice cream.

JaneandJim

They do actually do it in the UK. At my son's school, a kid peed during swimming and a little trail of dye showed up behind him. Everybody was ordered out and the pool was drained and refilled. No swimming for the kids that week.

Jane

jayr

Snopes claims it to be myth:

http://www.snopes.com/science/poolpiss.htm

Hutch

http://www.snopes.com/science/poolpiss.htm



P.S. I need to tell you something about Father Christmas. May come as a bit of a shock...

renth

Why would you drain a pool because someone pissed in it? That's what the chlorine is for. Even if someone has a runny shit in the pool you wouldn't drain it out, unless it was a paddling pool.

andrew63

I told my kids it was the mobile dentiost and for years they ran when they heard the siren.

Original poster - absolute rubbish. No such thing. Besides, urine is 95% water and should be sterile in normal people so it is harmless anyway. Safe enough to drink. Aka Fosters! There are chemicals around that would turn purple etc with urine to react with urea, for instance, but the pool would have to be moreorless 100% of such chemical and you would probably disolve if you swam in it.

Andrew

MartinLuther

It's a myth.

But I hadn't heard about Santa Claus & The Tooth Fairy. Are they dating or something?

SJR

Are you speaking from experience?

NickyC

Totally agree. The only time I've ever heard of a pool being drained was at the UNSW a few years ago after they found a dead body in the pool in the morning.

My kids were mightlily pissed-off - they'd have preferred them to just fish it out and let them swim on.

Deer Hunter

Runny poo

jayr

I don't anyone who has drained their pool after they have left it untreated over winter. It is then green, full of Algae, stinks and would probably kill. Just needs a chlorine shock.

In summer, after kids have been round, it is full of various types of wee and has an oil slick of sunscreen on top. Never stopped me swimming in it

renth

There are protocols for dealing with shit in a pool. Once you've looked after a pool for a few years and have small kids you get to learn all about them.

moneypenny20

I always used to say that to the girls when they were little - they believed it because "I know everything"

Piddle in the pool dye is an urban myth as is the tooth fairy. Father Christmas on the other hand - well you can't say he doesn't exist just in case...........

gedge

now they don't believe a word u say