Would you let your 3-4 year old wander round naked in your street /drive way?

[Poppychick]

Just curious really. Our neighbours let their DD wander about on hot days naked round their and their neighbour's drive on the pavement at the front of their house. They also let her stand in the front window naked.

I don't believe my kids should be ashamed of their bodies but wouldn't let them do this. It seems inappropriate to me. It could put them at risk and make others feel uncomfortable.

What do others think? Am I being obsessive?

God DD and DS are naked all the time, in the garden, out the front, in the house, on the beach

Im not going to let the slight chance that there is some paedo living on the street who just happens to be watching for the 10 mins they are out there, let them not run around like children with no shame or embarrasment about their bodies

Solo - Is there a higher change of peodophiles now than there was 30 year ago?

I find it quite upsetting tat you think that I am delibratly putting my children in harms way.

We were spontaniously enjoying a trip to the park. They didnt have costumes, but I did hve sun cream.

It is notabut growing up with body hangups, it is about growing up too soon, with too menay pressures on them. I wtch my children, they are just babies. I am awarethat there are bad people out there, b ut do you not think that you are perhaps a little over-senstitsed as you se them on a regular basis.

At 19 monts old a nappy would be fine, why a full swimsuit, she would look no differnt from a boy, so you think I should put my 2 yaear old in a full swim suit?

Well, each to their own.
I knew a man once(perfectly nice, polite, normal man)who liked to ejaculate over childrens feet. You just never know...

I like to think I would notice a man ejaculating in my own driveway

Solo - you still havent answered my questions

TMH, On the contrary, I feel extremely desensitised to most of it. Maybe it's just knowing what I know that makes me uncomfortable with naked children in openly public places. I'm not trying to upset anyone, but perhaps people feel too comfortable because they actually know little of it? I have been to places where my Ds wanted to paddle in the park and I've not had a costume for him. He wore his underpants.

I do think that there are more instances of paedophilia than 30 years ago, but then that is most likely IMO because the population is much bigger now.

I was typing TMH, sorry.

Thats OK Solo- I thought the fist remarks were for me.

I do appreicate your opinion, but I am happy to keep a watchful eye over them and enjoy our spontanious moments of fun. Life is for living.

Like I stated they are only babies yet and DS1 is learning about appropriate places for this behaviour. I am keen for him to understand that the behaviour is normal and fine my me, it just sometimes the places arnt

MP, I am just trying to demonstrate that seemingly normal people aren't always normal. I'm certain that that wouldn't be so blatant, but there are many, many ways...

TMH, life is for living, I totally agree, but we are so responsible for making sure that our babies are protected from people that may wish to harm them. Life can be very hard and throw many hard things at us and our kids. We only want what's best for them after all, don't we.
Hyperthetically speaking, if you were watching the news and saw that a child had been playing in the front garden naked and had been assaulted in some way by an adult male, what would you think/say about that childs situation? I would say, "why on earth was that child naked in the front garden"?

Go back to the McCanns...I would never have left my children unattended, not for 5 minutes. That's my judgement of their situation.

DT2 particluarly loves his nekkidness. In fact I have to run into the garden and stop him from popping his penis over the fence to show the children next door.

He'll come home and strip as soon as he's through the front door (many a client has met my nekkid DTs).

DT1 is more likely to keep her clothes on if she's started the day dressed, otherwise she's as nekkid as a jaybird.

I have no problems with their nakedness. All too soon they'll have to cover up. For now... I just like looking at their bottoms as they run squealing through the house/garden

clothes are optional in our house warm weather and cold. I do try to encourage clothing for outside our property (in the street) but doesn't always work.

I agree justaboutagrownup. I think parents obsess far too much about paedophiles. Paedophilia is not a "new thing" it's just since the internet etc we know and read about it more often than years ago. The risk is still minutely small and children should be allowed to be just that.

I would not have a problem seeing my own or anyone elses children running about naked.
I simply love to see my kids bombing around in the nude on the beach on holiday. A paedophile watching them never even enters my head tbh.

no i wouldn't

Solo - Naked in their own front garden is fine with me. As I posted previously DS1 has even washed the car in the nude. I do not think it is OK to blame the child for the adults behaviour

Themadhouse. Well put. I certainly want my children to be fully aware and primed on stranger danger (just as i was), but i think you have to be careful of transfering your own fears and anxieties to them.

Besides,(and i wonder if this will open a can of worms) but statistic actually show that sexual abuse is actually more prevelant within the family(or extended) family home than from that of a stranger.

My kids can run free, naked and proud for as long as THEY feel comfortable doing so.

So, by this logic, never mind nudity - the greatest risk is to let your children play barefooted?

I knew I shouldn't have clicked on this thread.

I was waiting for someone to say it .
All I was saying was that there are all kinds of people out there, not all predators are obvious...
I'll care for my children, you care for yours, but mine wont be naked in public.

Well, glad I didn't keep you waiting too long, solo

We all have our own take on this subject, and it's one of those 'never the twain shall meet' issues. I feel that 'paedo-panic' has done enormous harm to our society and I wouldn't dream of restricting my children's reasonable freedoms on the basis of a negligible risk.

snaf..... ditto from me.

Thanks Snaf . As I've said before - each to their own. Lot's of things have damaged our society and for me it's damage limitation rather than clean up the mess. I wish everyone peace and love anyway.

DS spends most of his time naked, stood in the bay window wiggling his bits at passers by.

He stripped and ran round my mate's driveway yesterday waiting for them to come home.

I was discussing with my mate the other day that I would be happy for DD (5) to run round the beach naked, but she wouldn't with hers. Maybe I am too slack. I would rather risk some nutter taking photos than make her cover up if she doesn't want to.

No problem.

I think we have to make sure all the scare-mongering about paedophiles being round every corner doesn't stop our children having the fun and freedom they need.

I think if people have a problem with his it's mainly cultural. I lived in Holland where naked 7 year olds are often seen on the beach. Now I live in the middle east and get looks for changing nappies in public.

Still agree with Solo and Juneybean.

Just because it is statiscally a low risk doesn't mean I won't protect them from it. Yes I'd let them in my enclosed back garden or house but nowhere else.

I stopped ds wandering round in the nud in front of passers by when he was about 3-ish, I think. Definitely by age 4. OK for toddlers, not for older children.