Kids running around naked in the park

[MrsGPotter]

Not sure what to think about this one.

We were sat in a huge garden type place in York and a family were sat nearby with two little girls aged (at a guess) 2 and 4. Both girls were completely naked and running around the park carefree. The park was full of students, tourists, locals, kids etc etc. On more than one occasion the eldest girl wandered off away from her parents and made her way across the park, up the steps and towards the back of the park with mum (fully dressed, thankfully) half heartedly following a few minutes after she'd set off.

Everyone was looking. A few people complaining quietly. A few people blatently uncomfortable with it all and a few people smiling at them. The mother seemed to be loving the attention to be honest and almost seemed like she was parading the girl around the park ("come on Honey, let's walk over this way!") - yes right past a few group of American tourists

I can't quite make up my mind how I feel about this. On one hand of course kids should be able to run around naked but on the other hand - is it sensible, really?

[LolaRennt]

Do you never use a public toilet then??


morelovetogive ladies hover or put tissue down when they know they'll be there a while and their legs aren't up to extended hovering

[mrskbpw]

"I wouldn't want to put my bare bottom where someone else had just put their bum!"

Do you never use a public toilet then??


But that's just the edges of your bum, isn't it? Not the middle bit!

[CalamityKate]

I completely agree with those who are saying there's nothing wrong with small children running about naked. COMPLETELY agree.

But I'd want mine to at least wear pants.

I don't know why.

[morelovetogive]

"I wouldn't want to put my bare bottom where someone else had just put their bum!"

Do you never use a public toilet then??

[MoominsAreScary]

bimbo yet again what I said was

I would be upset if there was pictures on the Internet of MY child's face on some other child's body

I would be even more upset if naked pictures of MY child were all over the Internet enabling more child porn etc

MY child not yours, if you don't worry where your child's pictures end up that is up to you

That is not implying that people that let their children run around naked are responsible for child porn

That is saying that I am not going to put my child in a position where I am enabling others to take naked photos of them

Like I've already said, don't try and put words in my mouth or say that I am implying something Im not

[satine]

I love seeing naked little children - I love their little bodies and their total innocence. I'm sad that fear of paedophiles and general catsarse public opinion has made it so rare now. That time of joy and innocence is so bloody short, and we should all rejoice in our fabulous little darlings before the horrid realities of life have to start making themselves felt.
I'm sad that any mothers can be offended by naked toddlers.

[BimboNo5]

Moomin you implied that those who let their children run around naked we responsible for child porn...thats hardly 'not caring what anyone else does' with their child is it?

[exoticfruits]

I wouldn't deliberately strip them off but if they fling off their clothes I don't see that it matters-it certainly doesn't if someone else's DC does it.

[wubblybubbly]

Interesting thread. DS is 4 now and has pretty much grown out of the stripping off stage.

However, for a good while, he was frequently found naked, at beaches, parks, friends houses, pressed up against the conservatory windows

I would encourage him to put his clothes on, usually for warmth, but I honestly never batted an eyelid at his nakedness. He's was basically just a baby. He still doesn't have any shame at his naked body but is happy to conform with convention now.

If I did think anything at all of a child running naked, it would be nothing more than how we all lose that joy and innocence much too quickly.

[Malcontentinthemiddle]

Blimey, was that the museum gardens? I think it's an odd thing to do really (especially as it wasn't especially warm yesterday!), and I'm sure you weren't the only one to look askance.

I'm not sure why anyone would do it, really!

[mrskbpw]

I don't think I would undress my children at the park, unless they had got wet or wanted to get wet (tho I normally have a change ofclothes anyway, at least for my little one) but if they stripped off I wouldn't worry about paedos. I would worry about sunburn though as my kids are very fair! I wouldn't like bare bums on swings or slides. Have often (well not really often but occasionally) wondered about naturist places, do they sit on towels or something? I wouldn't want to put my bare bottom where someone else had just put their bum!

[MoominsAreScary]

You should start a thread on something controversial ( but not about kids) it would give us all something to talk about other than naked kids, kids with no bikini tops, kids in female changing rooms


I would but I'm too sleep deprived to think of anything

[whoneedssleepanyway]

A 2 yr old doesn't need to learn that it isn't acceptable (because it is) they have learned it by the time it becomes unacceptable

I disagree I think 2 year olds do need guidance, we teach toddlers that they do their wees and poos on the potty or the toilet, we teach them gradually that they should use a fork and spoon to eat, we teach them that it isn't ok to bite or hit other children, this is just guiding them in what is and what isn't ok behaviour. If your child pulled his/ her pants/ nappy down in Tesco I am sure you would say that wasn't on, so why is it acceptable to take all your clothes off in a public park. There is a time and a place for this and in my opinion the local public park isn't that place.

I will probably be told that this isn't the same thing but when a friend was potty training her DD, she let her run around at home with no pants on and if she just did a wee in the garden that was fine, said DD now thinks nothing of wipping her pants down in public places if caught short and doing a wee on the path, whatever. I don't think this is great (I am fine with children wee-ing behind a bush or something but just blantantly pee-ing wherever they want not great...but this little girl thinks it is fine because she was never told otherwise.

I am not saying every child that strips off in the park is going to become a flasher or anything ridiculous like that but just that children should learn which boundaries are appropriate to cross...

[exoticfruits]

I am quite upset that no one has ever discussed me on MN as I go around happily doing quite a few things that are frowned on!

[exoticfruits]

Fine by me Moomin-they can even say something to me if they like. I will be quite polite back but carry on regardless. (a bit of a silly argument as DSs are long, long past the age of it being acceptable )
However if if someone said something to a mother in the park, I would support the mother of the naked ones.-politely.

[MoominsAreScary]

It doesn't seem that anyone said anything to the women who's 2 and 4 year olds were naked

If people have to accept that your children are going to be naked , you have to accept that some people won't like it and might give you catsarse faces

And maybe discuss you on mn

[littlebluespring]

Nobody is saying that you are not entitled to hold an opinion, or that your children have been damaged by not running around naked in public.

[exoticfruits]

Of course they weren't moomin-the same way as those running around naked weren't damaged. It is neither here nor there to a 2 yr old if they were wearing clothes or not. I can honestly say I haven't a clue whether I was naked on the beach or not at 2yrs-I also don't care!

[exoticfruits]

They are quite entitled to not like naked DCs running around-as long as they respect that some people do like it and will do it.

[MoominsAreScary]

And I'm sure my children arnt damaged because they never ran around naked in public

[MoominsAreScary]

I don't care what you do or don't do with your children I'm saying what I wouldn't do with mine

The same way that some people dont want to see naked children running around, that's their opinion and they are intitled to that, it doesn't make them weird like some people were saying earlier

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

I think its really creepy that you thought of the mum as "parading them", I'm sure she wasn't, it's a bit twisted to think like that

[HSMM]

The children wouldn't bother me at all. The mother not paying attention to them and drawing attention to herself would be more worrying.

[littlebluespring]

I don't think it is a case of not being bothered. It is a case of weighing up to what extent it is beneficial to you and/or your child to develop a mindset that you should restrict behaviour and dress based on the predatory sexuality of other.

I think it is damaging in this instance to develop that mindset.

You're 'not bothered' about that mindset.

[MillyTant]

Some years ago a troll disturbed poster on another parenting sight used photos of a baby in hospital taken from the internet, as her own dead child.

There are some very,very sick fuckers out there but you cannot limit your life because of them.