@FireUnderTheHand
I’ve loved our journey with naturism as a family and it has brought wonderful experiences, close friendships and positive relationships with each other and how we relate to ourselves and our bodies and the wider world. I wouldn’t change it at all.
Okay I can see your point, if I may, do you practice in public (i.e. strangers, friends, extended family) or private (immediate family) places?
Are you confident that your children do not experience distress and/or that it doesn't affect their abilities to create and enforce boundaries?
Again I am not a parent and am not judging, I was a child once as we all were and am curious if I can make sense of what you are saying through my childhood lens.
I am not asking for a 'gotcha' or any disingenuous reason(s) - I am genuinely trying to understand your perspective.
Please do not feel obliged to answer unless you are totally cool with it.
Thanks in advance!
No problem and I’ll try my best!
To be honest, I don’t really see it as ‘practising’ naturism. It’s just how we are as family. So, within the home when it’s just us as a family, however anyone is dressed is accepted and doesn’t raise a comment or response. So, if someone walks into a room naked cos it’s warm, or half dressed or fully dressed, that’s all cool and it wouldn’t be of any matter to anyone. Same as if someone is showering in the bathroom, and someone knocks and is then shouted in, that’s cool too. We don’t have a lock on the door and we often don’t mind others coming and chatting to us if we are bathing for example.
We get dressed or undressed in front of each other and that isn’t an issue either.
As for outside the home, so, we came across a naturist beach when our children were small. They were practically naked anyway, as littlies often like to be on beaches. We decided to stay and visited that beach everyday cos we loved it so much. It was so freeing, the kids were happy, there was no pressure to hide behind towels trying to peel off wet costumes etc, it was just refreshingly lovely, and easy, and so simple. We just enjoyed it, and could see that for other families on that beach, they enjoyed it and were relaxed and happy too.
At that point we learned that naturism was a ‘thing’. We hadn’t even heard of it.
We found that it was also something you could do in England, by discovering British Naturism who are the UK naturist organisation, so we booked onto a family naturist camping weekend and there made our first naturist friends who we are still friends with today.
From there it was just exploring naturism both in England and abroad on holiday.
You mention ‘in public’ but it doesn’t feel like that (and also it isn’t anyway) - It’s part of a community, so you just understand straight away that you are with like minded people - and not just like minded but warm and friendly and welcoming. It’s a lovely community, non judgemental and just enjoying their naturist lives.
You also ask about my children being distressed, and my answer is no - hopefully you can see because as I’ve described above, it’s part of how we are and how we spend some of our time. Our children have grown up with it as part of our family life, they’ve made friends, enjoyed holidays, waterparks, camping... Nudity itself isn’t distressing, for us it’s just normal and a comfortable way to sunbathe or swim or chill...
We talk a lot as a family, so we discuss all sorts of things. Hence why I don’t believe naturism has any detrimental effect on our children’s abilities to create or enforce boundaries. Being in a respectful naturist environment role models what simple nudity is and should be and that it’s safe and comfortable. And from there, as I mentioned in a precious comment, everything around boundaries etc can be discussed as any parent would do...
I’ve seen naturists’ friend’s children older than mine grow up into adulthood, navigate forming respectful relationships, all from the context of a naturist upbringing.
There are so many ways to be as a family, to raise children. No family looks the same, but having naturism as part of it has only enhanced ours...
I hope that helps!