For not covering up?

[Nelly1727]

Genuine question? At what age would you stop walking around naked in front of the children? We have a naked house, I'm not saying I sit and watch TV naked but my husband and I will happily Walk from the bedroom to the bathroom with no clothes on and think nothing of it. If I need to nip downstairs (and curtains are closed) I would think nothing of quickly running downstairs before putting clothes on. Kids will jump in bed with us in the morning etc. I have 3 boys 6,7 & 8. My friend was astonished we do this and think the boys are too old now and I should start covering up. What are your views? My eldest has started getting more private closing the door when in the bath etc, only changing in his room which we respect and make sure the younger ones also understand he wants privacy. Am I scarring my kids for life as my friend suggested by letting them see my husband and I in our birthday suits at this age?

To add, I feel very insecure about my body - I've had 5dc and 4 sections, but I don't want to I still such negative body confidence in my dc. Covering up in front of them would say more about my lack of body confidence, and hey, my body produced them!

We are a naked house, I grew up in a naked house. I think it gave me a view on the human body that it wasn't something to get in a flap about. I think it promotes a healthy mind set, not scarring at all. I think it is particularly important for ds to see a 'normal' female body, if it were left to the media he would think everyone looked like they were in an instagram selfie. It has absolutely nothing to do with sex.

Three boys here too! I have never paraded around naked for the sake of it, but will walk from bathroom to bedroom etc.

My 12 yo DS has just started to protest about it, so I won't do it any more as it makes him feel uncomfortable.

Having said that, I don't see anything wrong with popping downstairs in bra and knickers if I need to fetch something. Same as being on the beach in a bikini in my view, so he'll have to get over himself

To add to my post above, I am talking of my husband who drops his clothes in the hallway every day yet has never in his life past the age of 10 worn swimming trunks . Anywhere.
Or taken off his top anywhere but at home.
He is the most body shy person outside of home .

I've got 2 boys 6 and almost 2. As long as they're comfortable I think it's fine. I'm not a fan if the younger one giggling my tummy and laughing but there you go.

I also think it's good for boys to see normal female bodies.

2 boys, and much like you, whilst not a confirmed naturist, I'll happily wander from bedroom to bathroom naked (or pop somewhere else if I've forgotten something - in the house, away from windows obviously!) - DP too. DS1 just turned 7 and doesn't care (in fact, he still spends most weekends wandering around nude or semi-nude).

DS2 doesn't care about us, but has demanded trousers for himself from as soon as he could speak - him wandering around naked is very rare!

I think if either of them ever start being properly worried (as opposed to just rolling their eyes - not that they even do that yet) then I'll get a dressing gown or something, but otherwise, I'll just keep doing it forever.

My mum and dad certainly popped to the bathroom with no clothes throughout my childhood and no-one thought anything of it.

Yep , I modesty check my washing line.
Never hang my underwear on the line.
Never have.
It dries inside.

Also in addition to my posts, although we were naked, our boys never were.
We always dressed them even as babies.
There was never even the toddler no clothes stage with any of them.
None of them ever flung their clothes off and ran around naked.

I don't hang my knickers on the line either (communal line). Scarred for life by the knicker stealer we discovered while inter-railing many moons ago.
Stopped being properly naked in front of DS when he was 8-9. Before that we had baths together etc. still walk around in bra and knickers occasionally but not naked.

melonscoffer

You do realise that your neighbours think you go commando

Don't hang underwear on the line?!

Because people might see your knickers?

I come from a naked houshold OP and even now we still yell from the front door when bringing friends etc in "is everybody decent"

DH has even been welcomed into the family by sufficiently seeing my dad in his underwear and mum in her (t-shirt) Nightdress

However my little sister is very shy and although she has absolutely no problems with everyone else being naked, NOONE is allowed to see her in less than Bra and Pants which we all respect =)

I can't believe people worry about what they hang on their washing line. You do realise no one probably even pays any attention to it! Everyone wears underwear. It's not like you're hanging whips and chains from your line with a massive vibrator perched on the end.

I think being naked around kids is fine until they get to about 9/10 ish, then it just feels a bit weird to me- they're beginning to start puberty (for a lot of children anyway) and noticing body changes etc. For me that would just seem like I was making them uncomfortable, rather than me.

I have a son aged 5 and I don't even think about whether I'm naked around him, he sees me get dressed out of the shower etc, it's not even a thing I've thought about to be honest. But I do have an older child now aged 14 and I think I stopped being naked around her about 10 ish, just felt like the right thing to do.

My gran changed what/how she hung her washing line when a priest moved in next door

Anyhoo, re nudity, IMO it is all context dependent.
If I am in the bathroom, getting ready for a shower and one of the DSs opts to come in for a chat we, well, chat and I get on with things.
If one of my teenagers is in the shower and I need something from the bathroom (happened yesterday, urgent elastoplast required for DS4...), I knock, await a response, tell him I'm coming in and avert my gaze.

I don't 'walk around naked' in front of my children but equally I don't avoid being naked in front of them if they walk in on me.

IME my boys became more privacy conscious when they started puberty and yes, being aware of their cues avoids most awkwardness.

I'll let you know when it happens! Oldest is 21....

By the way they all seem to find me in the bath I don't think anyone is really bothered here.

I took the lead from my eldest who is now 12. It was about a year ago that I noticed him shutting his bedroom door, covering himself up etc, so I've been a bit more careful myself.

Still sleep naked and will walk from bedroom to bathroom with nothing on. But he no longer comes into our room in the morning and even if he's upstairs with his bedroom door open he can't see me walking from bedroom to bathroom.

When someone starts to get uncomfortable with it then that's time to cover up.

I live abroad where there's a cultural difference in regards to nudity e.g. families go to sauna together until the children are about 8-10 years old, after that usually split into male/female groups for sauna so we're all used to seeing each other naked. I have a DD that's 6, she comes to sauna with me and OH, and I sometimes wander round the house naked or just in knickers, she's not bothered by it at all and will run around naked still sometimes (but shuts her door when she's getting changed - funny distinction there!)

There probably won't be any point when she'll stop seeing me naked as the public swimming pool has naked shower and sauna rules but I expect she'll stop wanting OH to come to sauna at the same time as us within the next couple of years.

I used to bathe with my son until he was maybe 6 or 7 (when we couldn't fit in together) and I was still naked around him for a few more years after that. He never questioned it and I'm sure it hasn't scarred him!

I too wanted him to know what a real woman's body looked like.

You modesty check your washing line?

yes, so what?
I don't care about my laundry, but I am conscious that my teen daughter might not appreciate her older brother's friends admiring her bras or pants. I don't know if they they would tease her or not, I don't know if she would be mortified if her crush(es) could see so it's easier to keep them in my bathroom. Maybe I am being unnecessary cautious, maybe not. She has a right to privacy, if she is happy to hang her underwear in the garden she is free to do so!

Thanks for all the replies. It came up in conversation with a group of friends as one asked when should you stop. One of our mutual friends was horrified we would be naked in front of the kids after the age of 2 so got me thinking what is norm. This friend also didn't think it was appropriate to ever discuss sex with children whereas my view is that I want my kids to be able to tell me anything and ask anything. If they are old enough to ask I will be honest (although just answer the specific question and not elaborate if not appropriate) My oldest has already at the tender age of 8 asked lots about sex. He didn't know what it meant so looked it up in a book in the school library, however that is a whole different thread!) This has reassured me that what we do is perfectly normal. We will carry on as we are until any of he boys show any signs of being uncomfortable with it.

I have DS 11 & 9. We are naked in front of them still as they choose to come and watch tv in our room every morning. If they don't want to see us then they can stay in their own rooms till we're dressed. My youngest is always naked but my eldest not so much, he is still happy getting ready in front of us though. I don't think boys are as bothered to be honest.

I am not a particularly naked person as such, don't wander round naked in front of friends, private in the bathroom but some of my friends are the opposite. Doesn't really bother me either way.

coddiwomple

What i find utterly cringing is mums in the nude or semi-in the nude on the beach, with teens and teens friends! It's so disrespectful.

What about dads in the nude or semi nude? Is that ok, and if so why is it different?

Don't be daft, men boobs are not associated with anything sexual, so a man with his top off on the beach is natural. It's not the same for women breast. You might not like it, but it's a fact. Many beaches rule that women must wear a top. Showing your boobs to your teenager friends is just unnecessary to say the least.

We no longer sleep naked as our DS aged 7 sneaks into our bed in the wee small hours when we're too dead to notice.

However, we're not bothered if he sees us when we're changing/in the shower. We will be if or when he does become uncomfortable.

Going to the loo is a whole different story. Since he's been able to wipe his own bum we've always insisted that poo is private, and he wants to be private for a wee now too.

He has no problem at all telling us what he is comfortable and not comfortable with, and on these matters we will let him take the lead.

I sleep and walk around my bed and bathroom naked. My DC (eldest is a teenager) see me all the time. It's my space. I don't think they have a problem with it, but if they do they can leave my room.