AIBU or is this a MAJOR safeguarding issue?

[Whatthefudgeisthis]

NC for this,

I’ve been absolutely stunned at the ignorance shown by the organisers with this one! A naturist night at the water park 😱 this place is designed for kids entertainment, it’s basically loads of water slides a wave pool and play area etc
Who in their right mind would take a child to such an event. Obviously I’m not shooting down naturists, each to their own, but this is an event that ANYONE can attend. Known paedophiles have attended these events, with one saying that he can’t even swim. What the actual fuck is going on? Who thought this one up?
If adults want to swim naked that’s their call, but why open the event to children too?

I’m pretty sure I’m not the one missing the blindingly obvious here, but I’m so amazed at the stupidity I had to share and maybe raise some awareness.

www.stokesentinel.co.uk/whats-on/family-nude-swimming-session-coming-2589946

These events are being held across the country, so there’s possibly one near you.

It is one of the reasons why so many young women don't go for cervical smears nowadays - they were brainwashed as children into thinking that 'down there' is only for sex

Yeah. That's the reason.

Off topic but genuinely what is the actual POINT of naturism? Like, I don't have an issue being naked but to actually go and seek out others who enjoy being naked? What's the point? Genuine question.

Also - don't you get cold? I'm completely alone right now and I could easily sit in my flat starkers but I'd freeze.

Of course it’s relevant, it’s a discussion about safeguarding.

I want to know if you feel your children are safe around men that have views like that.

I know I’m not. I know most parents would recoil in horror at the thought of it. You however refuse to provide an answer.

By refusing to give an answer, I’ll just come up with assumptions and you wouldn’t want that.

@claireluna5

How would you answer a child who didn't want to be in a swimming costume? How would this be enforced?

the parent would say "no darling, I am really sorry, but you are going to have to wear a swimming costume in the pool."

a naturist family would see that as very strange
but if it was in the best interest of the child, they would probably be able to come to terms with it.

You mention about children being naked 'in public'. Naturists are not naturist in public - they are naturist within the naturist community
by in public I mean not at home or in an exclusive space for the family. I would consider being around the community outside the home to be "public".

I actually also now think that how naturists do things at home with children should be looked at. A child being forced or encouraged to be naked at home isn't great either.

In relation to choices in your last 2 paragraphs, psychologists support children making choices as early as possible, but they have to be age appropriate. I think that the prevailing sense would be that for children under 16 the choice about wearing costumes at naturist events is not appropriate for them, and there should be a proper review about this and hopefully it will be clarified at some point that they should be required to wear costumes at the nakedswims (or not go)

@Bobaboutwhat

Screen shot of info regarding images of children on the site gallery.
Link - www.bn.org.uk/galleryrules/

I'm late to this debate but it turns my stomach too. Adult naturists on a hidden part of a beach or other quiet setting, fine if you must, but you have no right to force children to expose themselves or be exposed to adult genitals.

Children can't give consent so parents have no right to assume consent.

The safeguarding issue is deeper than the obvious ones of perverts eyeing up naked children in the pool, brushing against them underwater etc it's the dangerous removal of boundaries which exist in normal society which help protect children.

Yes the private's rule, underwear protects etc, how do you teach that then undo it when you expose your child like this?

Also, I picked up on ordinarydad comment about naturism being part of 'one big family'. That's a red flag for abuse being allowed to go unchallenged and under the radar. Most abusers are family members or treated like family.

This way of teaching kids it's okay to be naked around uncle Steve and see uncle Steve's penis because we're all one big family is totally wrong.

There was an adult survivor of sexual abuse on Jeremy vine this morning saying exactly this.

Everyone taking kids to this bizarre event should have their details taken on entry for further investigation imo. There's no need for it.

@itwasntpreeclamsia

I'm concerned that you think parents force or expressly encourage their children to be naked.

Maybe you have a misconception that naturists are naked all the time at home and expect their children to be the same...

Why in specific circumstances is nakedness not in the best interests of a child? Or inappropriate in a naturist situation?

Another question to ask is maybe why do parents encourage their children to cover up when they get to a certain age, within their family environment at home? Surely this is personal to each family if they choose to expressly encourage children at home to be 'covered up'? Just because a family chooses not to, does not mean anything other than a family that is comfortable around each other if they happen to be naked at any point. As a naturist family we don't all walk around naked all the time. But if I walk to the bathroom across the landing naked and my children see me, its no biggie, same as if they do that. We shower with the bathroom door open, chat to each other whilst we shower, I sleep naked, sometimes my children do, we wander around half dressed in the morning etc etc. This to us as a family is very normal...

See that's interesting, I thought the existence of the BN legal fund might be for those who just can't go out in public with clothes on and are subsequently charged, but if as a general rule they don't force their lifestyle on others, why does a supposed benign organisation have a legal fund to help get it's members out of legal trouble? What could possibly go on to need a legal fund?

@claireluna5

I'm concerned that you think parents force or expressly encourage their children to be naked
This has come from ordinarydad's post about "letting" children wear clothes, and him calling his children/grand children prudes if they want to wear clothes.

Why in specific circumstances is nakedness not in the best interests of a child? Or inappropriate in a naturist situation?
Have a look back at my post about the pants rule, as I covered this there. Have a look at all the posts on this thread about the pants rule. The pants rule is there to make the choice for the child, when they are a child. Covering private parts (by pants) as well as to do with touch.

I am pretty sure that in terms of normal development children generally become more self conscious at a certain age - what naturists appear to be teaching children may be cutting across normal development and if so might be considered abusive (I don't know for sure).

"I am pretty sure that in terms of normal development children generally become more self conscious at a certain age"

Yes, this is true - and is probably a sliding scale too in terms of different children and their own sense of self-consciousness.

I accept however my children decide to dress at home and wouldn't comment either way whether that is with clothes on or without... And this is why I also respect that children and teenagers are accepted within the naturism community in however they choose to dress (or not!). So therefore I cannot accept that I/naturism cuts across their normal development...

I can't speak for all naturists, just in the same way I can't speak for all parents - some of the topics being discussed seem to cross the divide into parenting. We all parent differently and make all sorts of choices in our lives accordingly. I truly believe we are all doing our best, there isn't one 'right way' and how other parents choose to do things is ultimately their choice.

Screen shot of more info from their legal guide for England photographs of children

Link to their legal guides -
www.bn.org.uk/files/file/739-legal-guides-public-place-naturism/

“One big family” - absolutely chilling.
I would also like to know what this BN paperwork thing means exactly and why the wording is so ambiguous?
I have already emailed the NSPCC to ask them how they can support child naturism without this completely contradicting their safeguarding guidelines/PANTS.

Christ imagine being the kid at school whose parents are naturists. Mortifying.

“Christ imagine being the kid at school whose parents are naturists. Mortifying.”

Yes - especially when their school educates them on safeguarding issues regarding the privacy of their bodies and how others should respect their privacy.

"Christ imagine being the kid at school whose parents are naturists. Mortifying"

Not at all. My children's friends are cool with it. It's not a big deal, because we don't make it a big deal. It's cool when kids can be confident with who they are and different things they do, and refreshing that they have friends who are supportive and can see it's not a big deal either.

claire how old are your children?

10 (11 in two weeks!) and 12

I will be interested in hearing what their friends think about it when they are teenagers, in that case.

They have teenage friends too. Again, it's not an issue. They are curious and ask questions, but it's not a source of judgement or weirdness.