To ask about nakedness in front of dc

[Whatafustercluck]

I've always gone on the basis that as soon as your child feels uncomfortable around you being naked, you should start covering up/ closing the door when dressing or bathing. Ds is 9 and not remotely bothered but I'm starting to wonder if this is weird/ out of step with others. We don't parade around naked for no reason of course, but he will frequently see us naked getting dressed/ undressed morning/ night. How open are you with your kids and what age did that stop? I've seen some experts say that it may be inappropriate from 5 which has concerned me tbh.

[vanillandhoney]

My husband hates wearing clothes in the house, he used to strip off as soon as he got home and would often be found lounging around naked.

Boak.

Why should other people have to sit and relax where his naked bum has been?

[TimeWastingButFun]

I started making sure the door was closed while I was in the shower/dressing as soon as one of them made a comment about me being nude, I think they were about 7 and 5. It seems silly to do that because it's natural but it feels right to be a little more private now. They still used to ask me to get into the bath with them at that age occasionally so I used to get in clothes and all, which also made them laugh. For the same reason I wear active wear or something getting into the paddling pool (though not the swimming pool obviously!)

[ProtectAll]

I only have DD and so have never covered myself up if they want to come into my room when I am getting up or relaxing in the evening only wearing pants due to the heat then they will see me. They are now both over 21 (at home from uni due to Covid)and not bothered so I don’t think it has harmed them.
DH always keeps his pants on and generally changes in the shower room as he will have a wash at the same time, or in the mornings he is up and out before anyone else is awake.
We always shower and use the loo with a locked door in this house, I have never taken the D.C. with me even when they were tiny.

[greentreesdream]

I agree former

When something is your normal, even if you hate it, you don’t question it.

I’m not coming to this from a prudish or uptight viewpoint, if someone walked in on me getting changed I’d laugh, but I do think in general privacy shouldn’t need to be asked for. It should just be given.

[Aria2015]

I think within immediate families, bodies are just bodies. We're naked when we need to be (showers / getting dressed) so not going out of our way to parade around lol. My family growing up was the same. From what I remember, my mum never really covered up but we could choose to see or not see her naked by simply not barging in on her in the bathroom or her bedroom. Even now, if she stays with me and I walked into her room, I know she wouldn't be fussed if she was getting changed and neither would i.

I personally I think that if you son isn't fussed then it's fine. Your his mum and you're just going about your daily life. He'll inevitably hit a stage where he's more aware of 'bodies' and will naturally probably seek privacy.

[Wyntersdiary]

im 27 and i still get naked in front of my mum if needs be ( showering whilst we talk or getting dressed) im ot embarressed by bodies as it was just a natural thing growing up, men are different but we are both woman so i dont see a problem

[Bluntness100]

Too many kids would feel too uncomfortable to say anything to their parents, it’s wrong to wait until they tell you. Because by that time you should have stopped long ago.

No one wants to see their parents genitalia, pubes or breasts. End of.

If your kid doesn’t really wish to get naked in front of you then stop getting naked in front of them.

[NichyNoo]

My DS is nearly 10 and I don’t hide my body from him. He isn’t remotely bothered.

[confusedofengland]

Dses aged 11, 9 & 6 here. DH & I sleep naked & wander down to the toilet/shower like it. Also don't lock toilet doors & they often wander in on us! They are all fine with it & never expressed any embarrassment or disgust.

Ds1 doesn't like people around when he's showering/going to the toilet & we all respect that. He has recently started developing & is very comfortable telling us about it & asking questions & wanted to show us to check it was normal!

The boys also all know about periods & what it looks like as they have seen me changing sanitary towels. I like that they see it as something normal & not to be embarrassed about.

[Bluntness100]

How will children learn what is “normal”/natural if they never see another body and ask questions?

You talk to them. You don’t need to show them your pubes and tits to teach them.

[Meredithgrey1]

My daughter is nearly one and me and her dad are never ever naked in front of her.

This baffles me just from a logistics point of view. When I was on maternity leave DD would howl if I put her down and wouldn't nap anywhere but on me so I didn't get privacy from her napping in the cot. Unless I got dressed before DH left for work (which I often didn't if DD was still asleep and I'd been up in the night feeding her) then she had to see me get dressed.

[Doyoumind]

There's no issue with being naked in my house. I'd rather my DC knew what real bodies look like and at this point there is no discomfort for them whatsoever. My body is a mess but I'm not the kind of person who is bothered by changing in front of people. I think it comes from growing up with exactly the opposite from my mother.

[Backbackandforth]

When they were around 3. Looking back there was no deliberate attempt, simply my partner and I fell into a routine of one would keep them entertained while the other had the freedom to go get ready. Also around this time baths/showers to myself became quite precious alone time, so not having them there was for me and not any sort of sense of appropriateness.

If I was raising them on my own then it would have been drastically older than this age.

[LST]

Both my DS see me naked all the time. They are 6 and 8. It is not a big deal. Whatsoever. I still see my mum naked! It's a body! I don't see a problem at all.

[TimeWastingButFun]

I've just remembered a time when we were in B.C a couple of years ago, and we accidentally walked onto a nudist part of the beach (we were in swimwear!) The boys (10 and 8) were walking along with their hands over their eyes saying 'OMG OMG OMG'. It was so funny (we moved pretty sharpish!)

[BadAlice]

My daughter is nearly one and me and her dad are never ever naked in front of her.
This is just bizarre! Never have a bath with her? Never take her swimming? Never sleep naked? How do you shower or get ready for the day? I just can’t understand how this works!

[Bluntness100]

The boys also all know about periods & what it looks like as they have seen me changing sanitary towels

You change your sanitary towels in front of you children? 😱

[20viona]

@Meredithgrey1 I mean I'm
Still on maternity leave and my daughter still has 2 1.5 hour naps a day so there is ample time to Shower and get dressed. When she was tiny she slept 90% of the day!

[20viona]

@BadAlice how is it bizarre? It's literally simple logistics why the hell would I need to get my bits out in front of her it's not a necessity to walk around naked by any means. Babies sleep all the time = lots of time to shower and bathe!

[speakout]

I had the odd bath with my kids up to around age two. After that no nakedness.

Our kids have never seen my OH naked- ever.

[Jellycatfox]

I think you will get all kinds of responses. I cover myself now because my DC asked me to. He was only 3 when he asked.
But he is happy with his dad naked so he doesn’t cover himself.
I come from a country where people are topless at the beach anyway and I think as long as they are happy then why not?

[MrsPworkingmummy]

Our children are 8 and 2. I often shower with my children, they see us get dressed and often come into our bed in the middle of the night (we don't sleep naked, but they're around when we're up and getting changed). I grew up in a house where nakedness/sexuality/sensuality were completely off limits and I have such low self esteem because of this that I hope this is played down and things are more relaxed and natural in my home now. I was excruciatingly shy about things like this until I was a teen and began to see how others lived. Both children are completely nonchalant; there is no issue. As soon as one of them expresses 'Yuck, why are you naked....' I'll use that as the start of the children becoming much more independent e. G. Showering and dressing on their own, sleeping through in their own bed etc. I can't wait until they're confident enough to do things independently. I don't think my daughter is too far away from this point.

[QuestionMarkNow]

I don’t think that my dcs really started to cover up in front of me until they were about 9~10 yo. The clear tipping line has been when they started to develop more
I have seen my own dcs naked (because I hasten to say THEY were not careful/bothered about covering up) as teens.

I have followed their lead.

[RiftGibbon]

My DC is 9 and not bothered. We don't parade around naked but if moving from bedroom to bathroom or already in the shower when they want to use the loo, it's not a big deal

[BobFleming]

My sons are 18 and 21 and will happily walk into our bedroom when we're naked or go into the bathroom and chat to me while I am in the bath.

It's no big deal.