Nude Family swim at Stoke Waterworld

And about the ‘more comfortable with bodies’ argument, well it exacerbated my eating disorder, as I knew when I developed breasts and pubic hair, I wouldn’t be able to hide them.

Any normal beach shoes children the whole range of body shapes. That argument is absolutely a gaslighting cover story

@DarkmilkAddict
“This is just so much BS. Listen to those of us who lived through it. Children can easily act normal when they have to, to avoid their parents’ anger/rejection. No one wouldn’t known I wanted to crawl out of my own skin”

I totally understand this and that it can happen, and children do hide their emotions if they feel they wouldn’t be listened to. It’s extremely sad if a child feels that way.
I’m sorry this was your experience.

It’s entirely possible it is happening within a naturist family somewhere.

I was responding to a direct question about whether I’d seen a distressed child and I gave an honest answer based on my personal experience.

Please remember I can only answer from my own perspective. I cannot represent every naturist family or person. That is why every direct experience of it, such as yours is equally valid.

I came to share a little about it from what I know over the last 12 years and from experience spanning naturist communities, places and events both here and abroad.

Wtf VortexofBloggery the more I read about naturism, the more it comes across like a cult.

SterFran00

It is not just the responsibility of the parents to ensure that thier children are comfortable. If you are getting naked in the same place as a child who isn't your own, it is also your responsibility to ensure that the others present are comfortable with this, since children do not always show when they are distressed, you cannot guarantee you have thier consent, therefore children really should not be allowed at these events.

I’ve suppressed my feelings about this for a long time. I’m now thinking it’s child abuse, and seriously considering at least setting up a support group.

Does anyone know about the origins of naturism? I’m finding it all a bit much tbh but I did google a few years ago and think it emerged from the free love/druggy movement

I’d like my children to be comfortable with bodies. And I’d very much like them to see a whole range, not just mine and their dads vs airbrushed social media and other things...

I really don't understand this "range of bodies" argument. It gets made a lot on here. It gets wheeled out in support of single sex communal changing rooms and a criticism of the beauty industry.

We all see a huge range of different body types every day , everywhere.You only have to look around any high street, office, swimming pool , indeed any public place to see a huge range of bodies impressively failing to meet body ideals. Neither I nor anyone else needs to see any of the public naked to know that.

This is just so much BS. Listen to those of us who lived through it. Children can easily act normal when they have to, to avoid their parents’ anger/rejection. No one wouldn’t known I wanted to crawl out of my own skin.

Please let children and teenagers cover their genitals.

I can’t believe it needs saying

DO NOT rely on them saying no if they don’t like it

There’s no fucking community or beautiful parenting style going in here, the only difference is people displaying their genitals to each other.

Keep children out of it. Or if you can’t, at least make it mandatory for them to wear pants till 18

How is this not basic respect??

My only knowledge of this debate is when on holiday in France years ago. A man was with his 8/9 year old son and the son was unbelievably distressed because the father was insisting that the child be naked even though he would be on the beach with all kids of his aged in bathing gear. I have never seen such an awful sight. That parent had no sense of what he was doing.

I have a mouth on me and insisted he re-consider for his child's sake. He did eventually put the kid shorts on. That father was a bully

This is not the same as being in groups where everyone is naked.

I have to go back and read the whole thread, I did start. Lone adult tickets for a family swim I do see as problematic, but I don’t understand this whole attitude towards nudity. We are born naked, clothes are a construct surely? Clothes and the horror of being uncovered have restricted women in particular for centuries (I won’t say millenia as I imagine everyone in the Middle Ages knew exactly what the whole village looked like naked) I’m not a naturist and recognise I’ve absorbed a certain amount of squeamishness but I’m not so happy with that, I’d like my children to be comfortable with bodies. And I’d very much like them to see a whole range, not just mine and their dads vs airbrushed social media and other things... trying to ban all these events seems counter to common sense.

There is also the fact that children learn to discern who to share stuff with, same as us adults. The friends my children are close with and have shared with aren’t the kind that would use it against them or pass it on to others in a ‘guess what they do’ kind of way.

So if there was another teenager at school who met up with them at naturist club and who didn't realise it had to be kept quiet, and who shouted it across the playground, would that be just fine with you? I can't imagine bringing my kids up with a hobby which I believed they needed to be secretive about.

I notice you ask about how we came to it - I do share it back up the thread but just to summarise, as well as being open at home with regards to nudity, we came across a naturist beach when our children were little. From there continued to explore it both abroad and in the UK and made naturist friends with families, and discovered the places and events we like to go

Thread not threat!

SterFran00

You feel like your DCs aren't uncomfortable at nudist events, having read the accounts of other posters on this threat who have said that they were uncomfortable, how do you feel about being naked around other people's children who are distressed about being there?

Ster, another question, sorry if I’ve missed it up thread, did you come from a Naturist family or is this something you have got in to as an adult?

Going back the best part of 40 years, I remember shouting across to a friend at secondary school about ballet class having changed times and she was mortified. Apparently she didn't want other girls to know she still did ballet aged 14 or so.

That's how sensitive teenagers can be to social norms.

I say again, anyone who wasn’t put through this as a young person hasn’t got a clue

Anyone who thinks the average teenager, hearing their friend is part of this, would accept it and think it’s normal is living in another planet.

This feels like gaslighting. What’s so bloody objectionable about keeping swimwear on ?!??

They are 12 and 14 Then you really need to think about it, I had Naturist friends, ones that still live in our town who I can barely look in the eye if I see them now as I don’t want any reference to my past with them, we went on holiday with these people, our family friends knew about my parents choices, they weren’t all knocking on the door of the local naturist club, as for their school friends knowing, and not being a subject of ridicule, this is the one I find hard, your DC have told them, or was it a low mumble or discussed openly, is still discussed openly? What’s being said behind their backs? We all know kids can be cruel, not everyone will have the same values as you, I’d seriously question the ‘ammo’ you are giving these kids against your DC.