At risk of sounding weird - I'm going out on a limb here.....
How old (if at all) should parents start covering up their 'private body parts' in front of their babies / toddlers / kids....
Just recently I've overheard a conversation where a mother mentioned her daughter is 7 and her DH will still walk through the house naked in the morning / evening. Her friend said 'ewww, 7 is way too old' - as they stopped strutting around naked when their daughter was 3 -4....
So I thought i would ask you ladies out there....what do you think, and why??
The body is the body. My parents had this attitude, walked around freely, and so do I. Not sexually, I just enjoy being without clothes sometimes. I love to walk around naked (despite my post-pregnancy body LOL) as I feel very free, and I have a healthy shame. My parents did the same. Naked in public is a no-no, naked in the privacy of your home, well why not? A body is a body. It's only sexual once its made sexual (same as breastfeeding, yes boobs are sometimes sexual but only if they're made sexual, at other times they're just boobs).
Anyway, just my opinion. Its not as if they're having sex in front of them, just walking around naked, enjoying being in their own skin without clothes. Pretty natural to me...
If my kids ever asked me to cover up, I'd ask why, but I probably respect that they have asked and I'd cover up. I don't do is ALL the time... mostly after a shower or before bed or when I get up etc (i sleep nude but i don't cook nude if thats what you're all thinking PMSL).
my parents still walk around naked..even in front of my kids
its all about respect. like leasha said if the child said i want you to cover up then i would or if they decide they dont want to walk around naked they dont have to
nothing shameful about a naked body.
There was a thread on this quite some time ago and there were a range of different answers. I haven't really given it much thought. I recall seeing my dad naked when I was primary school age. I don't know about after that, I don't remember. I think personally we'll go with the flow - I don't want the boys to think there is anything wrong with the human body that it has to be hidden, but I guess they also need to understand that it's not always approriate to be naked. So we'll just see what happens. Personally I don't think it's bad that the DH was naked around his 7yo DD.
My DH and I have had this conversation. We bath and shower with both the girls and DH will give the girls a bath. Its something we've wondered - when does it (if ever) become inappropriate for a father to bath or shower with his daughters. We also have a lot of naked time, sleep naked etc and the girls will come into bed with us occasionally.
We've basically decided that we'll let the girls lead us. It will become a natural thing that the girls will stop wanting to be naked in front of their father, and then probably also in front of me and each other. Until that time, we will be doing all we can to give them the impression that there is nothing wrong with nakedness in the privacy of their own home.
I think it is a really sad reflection of society that a father can't enjoy being with his children (especially daughters) in a loving, physical sense without some people's immediate reaction being that there is something nasty and inappropriate going on. My DH is an incredibly tactile man and adores his children. He is very physical with them and it breaks my heart to think that some time down the track that behaviour might be misinterpreted.
Last edited by LuluHB; January 3rd, 2009 at 10:14 AM.
my parents always slept naked, walked around the house naked, whatever - it has never phased me. I am not into the whole shameful body thing, so see no need that Charlotte shouldnt see what a real human body looks like. Better for a teenage boy to have seen his mother naked and know what is real than an airbrushed centrefold as far as I can tell.
My parents nor am i a nudist or anything extreme, they just had no problem showering, walking around in summer, sleeping etc nude. So I suppose because of that I dont either.
I know people though that have NEVER seen their mothers boobs, and they are quite normal too lol Whatever works for you I think is best for your family
ETA - lulu Im with you - I hate the fact that I know that somewhere in the back of daryl's mind he is always wondering whether or not someone is going to misconstrue his and charlottes time at the park or the beach, or the fact that he may give his 6 year old daughter a shower. very sad
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