to think that it's up to me to decide what my kids should wear in their own home?

No kids as yet but here's my two penneth anyway...

In your own house/private garden sure. And at age 4, there's no harm, as long as they grow up knowing that clothes are a necessity and the reasons why. I think there's a cutoff point too where it becomes a bit inappropriate.

As a baby, my niece always loved toddling around with no nappy on, and was always happiest in middle childhood wearing as little as possible and it was no problem. But as she got older we had to tell her all the time about being a more ladylike as she genuinely had no idea. Even now at 16 almost every time we go to visit she'll be kneeling in front of the TV with a great big builders bum going on, completely oblivious. My poor boyfriend doesn't know where to look!

Perhaps she is part of the fetish community and has a thing for animal heads?

She's clearly bonkers, don't let it worry you.

Now if you made the whole family dress in the same outfit and nothing else that would be weird.

Funny, but weird.

She's very odd

Singingmum - you LO sounds has a great SOH

Find the comments from people saying that they would feel uncomfortable and wouldn't know where to look if their friends children were naked weird, they're children FFS.

On a slightly differnt note I once knew a nanny who thought that a heavily pregnant woman was disgusting for going swimming in our local pool as you could see her bump! (She was wearing a normal maternity costume)
Just goes to show there are some weird fcked up people out there with weird fcked up ideas

Although, I do think if I had a visitor who wasn't close family I would make DD put some clothes on. I also don't let her go nude on the beach on holiday

Not inapproriate at all - My DD is forever undressing herself in the mornings then running around for ages without any clothes on.

BIL always asks her go and put knickers on when he is here though as it makes him feel uncomfortable. She is 2 and toilet training

tbh, i would feel uncomfortable if i visited someones house and their children were naked. i wouldn't comment, but i would definatly make an excuse to leave. nudity in your own home is of course your right, but some people do feel uncomfortable seeing naked children that are not their own. i don't know whether this is right or wrong or prudish or whatever, it is, erm, well, just the way it is.

i personally would dress my children if we had a visitor, it is the socially accepted way to be clothed.i would not be nude in front of a visitor so why would my children be? i'd have just stuck some pants on him and if she still had a problem then i'd dismiss her as a weirdo!

Message withdrawn

Could you pop a note through her door with the phone number of a good therapist?

I wonder if she has some history of being abused, even if not it's very sad though that someone feels children shouldn't be allowed to run round in the nuddy in their own home

My ds2 (3yrs) is always stripping off indoors, he gets it from his dad who loves nothing better than wandering around in his boxers (or naked if ds1 is out)My friends and family have learnt over the years not to just walk into our house unannounced unless they are willing to catch dh in a state of undress

Quite often my friends will pop round to find ds2 in nothing but my pink cowboy hat or pair of goggles, sometimes he will put on a pair of pants. Personally I dont see anything wrong with it, we are in our own home and I would love to be able to get away with it like he does (but i wouldnt, i would end up scaring everyone lol). Luckily he doesnt mind wearing clothes if we need to go out.

I think your neighbour over reacted, i could understand it if you were visiting her and your son suddenly stripped off but in your own home its up to you what your ds does

Your DS is a typical LO and neighbour is a bit odd

MY DD is forever answering the door as a fairy!

Orm - let her take responsibility for her own feelings. If she felt uncomfortable by the decor of your home, which you had chosen, would you feel you had to change it?

Unbelievably rude of her to talk to you like that, whatever her views are. I personally don't like it, but not from a wierdo /pervert pov at all, min. requirement in our house is a pair of pants, otherwise I'd have willies in my face all bloody day long, lol, but I understand that's just a personal preference, no wierd hang up from me, honest, but I can't imagine EVER commenting to anyone like that about something perfectly acceptable that they (or their kids) are doing IN THEIR OWN HOME!!!!!!!

How do you think you'll react when you see her again? (apart from being naked with tiger head on)

I know I'd feel uncomfortable if anyone had had a go at me like that tbh.

neighbour is unreasonable. fair enough put clothes on in public place but at home... Mine are starkers most of the time at home even mid winter .... dont tell dh though he is always moaning about how the the central heating is on.

Just to put a slightly different angle on it, when I've been in parks in the summer and seen little kids in and out of the paddling pool with no clothes on, I've felt a bit uncomfortable on their behalf in that 'I hope there are no weirdos about' and MAYBE that's where her head is - i.e. even though it's your garden, they shouldn't get in to the habit of running around naked. I suppose I only feel the need to stick up for her slightly as everyone else has slammed her. I think she's maybe a victim of this generalised fear about paedophilia and naked children. People often sound rude when actually they're embarrassed and uncomfortable and she hasn't sorted out her own feelings about how to deal with the issue vis a vis her own child.

Whose house was it?!!
I find it quite inappropriate that someone should visit a neighbour and then be rude about her child and the way they are dressed (or undressed). Thank goodness she doesn't live next door to me, as my children are usually naked. It's part of being a child!

Anabel- Cumbria is gorgeous too! I was out in shorts and vest top vesterday and shops and t-shirt today!

Wouldn't see anyting wrong with a naked 4yo (or 7yo for that matter) being naked in public let alone in their own home!
I wish I could swim naked! Let the little ones enjoy thier innocence while it lasts!
I would have to assume the woman has had some horrible expereince inher past which has given her a warped perception of nudity.
Pity her, but don't listen to a word of it!

I spent most of my childhood nekkid... my mum still goes on about it to anyone who'll listen

Attitudes to nudity vary hugely, but it certainly wasn't your visitor's business to comment on how you bring up your child in the privacy of your own home.

I don't agree with your visitor, and she was rather rude to express her opinion about what you do in your own house. But maybe it's better she said it to your face than behind your back. Some people are prudes and I don't have any patience with them. You were taken aback by her frankness; perhaps have a reply up your sleeve for any future unsolicited opinions eg "we'll have to agree to differ on that one."

I think for visitors I would dress my children in some clothes even if was only a pair of shorts for a boy and a t-shirt/shorts for a girl.

I guess my stance comes from my fear that people might think that i haven't got enough clothes for my DD if they were naked or in pyjamas all day. Either that or I was too idle to bother dressing them .

But it's your house, so you can make the rules .