So, you're all grown up and now you're wondering if your old nudist days of flower-child beatitude have any place in the age of "whoa, I'm a dad." Or maybe your 2-year-old walked in on you while you were getting changed, and now you're biting your nails wondering whether Susan is permanently scarred for life.
On any scientific basis, early exposure to nudity is at worst moot and at best, complementary to a child's self-esteem and healthy attitude toward sex. In a 1995 study of Alfred Kinsey's original findings regarding the frequency of nudity in the American household, Paul Okami concluded that there were no major differentiating factors between those who grew up around nudity and those who were guarded from it. A lengthier longitudinal study in 1998 found that in many cases, parental nudity had a positive effect on body image in the long run.
Does this necessarily mean you should implement an open-door policy and hang up clothes-less family portraits in your foyer just to enforce this point? Probably not, but the answer has to do with your comfort level as a group. Kids do develop a need for privacy and modesty after a certain point, too. And to think in broader terms, most people have childhood memories of being grossed out by something they saw beyond their parents' bedroom doors.
It's ultimately up to you how you handle this dilemma, but know that if your little one catches a quick glimpse of your derriere, it shouldn't cost you years of therapy sessions in the long run. Cultivating a healthy nonchalance for nudity is key, as is a regard for personal boundaries.
If you are looking to try something new, the clothes free lifestyle could be your answer to meeting new nudist friends who look just like everyone. Naturistmingle. com is the best choice for you! Nothing wrong with being naked as long as you enjoy it and can handle it. We are all born that way!
Parenting shouldn’t rely on just science to determine what’s appropriate. And I think you’re trying to justify being naked around your kids.
There’s a huge difference between your kids catching you at the wrong time and rebelliously shucking society’s norms and your clothes. Worse, lets not give any closet pedophile any indication that parading about in the buff for their own gratification is okay.
Keep it in your pants as much as possible. Let your kids grow up slowly. Nudity is over rated- innocence isn’t.
I think that being nude is something that is fine, but there is a line that should be drawn when it comes to kids. If you want to be a nudist or enjoy being naked in a community of adults, go do that on your own time. Science cannot be the deciding factor in an issue like this one. There are too many children who have been molested and abused by parents, friends, and strangers for this to be something that is promoted. Children don’t understand the differences in what is appropriate and what isn’t. You can try to teach it, but kids still won’t fully get it until they grow up a little and become more mature. It is important to let your child be who they are, but it is your RESPONSIBILTY as a parent to protect your childs innocence. Imagine a child molester being at a nudist gathering and staring at your son or daughter…put yourself in THAT position and tell me it is ok.
Innocent nudity is under rated. Flaunting your nudity is completely different than nonchalant nudity. Making it a big deal makes it a big deal. Shucking society’s norms freed slaves, made it possible for women to vote and eliminated segregation. Sometimes the “norm” is wrong, harmful, and unfair. Teaching your kids that their body is something to be ashamed of is one of society’s norms that is harmful.
Responding to some comments from before: This article has nothing to do with child molestation or pedophelia, but rather, simple and casual nudity. The aforementioned problems are completely unrelated. These problems occur with or without clothes and simply advocating people not be nude around their children isn’t going to solve this problem. The opposite also has no effect with solving this issue either. Again, because they’re unrelated.
Also, this isn’t using Science to raise your kids, rather it’s Science pointing out what many nudist households already know. Casual nudity around children is completely harmless and in many cases beneficial for children’s self-esteem and body image. If you’re not comfortable raising your children around nudity, that’s fine. It’s not for you or your family. However, the point of this article is that, for those on the fence, it’s not a big deal one way or the other. It’s not going to cause psychological harm. That’s where the science and research is needed. Not to raise the kids but to help us adults understand what to worry about and what not to.
Most child molestation cases you hear about do happen in the home, with friends and relatives being the usual culprits, but that doesn’t mean that casual nudity had any part in it at all. It’s not going to steer a kid towards or a way from danger, and clothing isn’t going to dissuade a sexual predator from attacking. Please stop spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt)! Learn the facts, and be open minded.
I am a father of 2 well adj. adult daughters who were raised in the nudist life style. When the time came that they felt akward and wanted their privacy we honered that. Our girls were never forced or expected to be nude the youngest was the most defient to the life style but now says it was a good way to be rais as she is more oppen minded and tolerant of others. As to the issue of child abuse and nudity my wife is a survivor of child abuse and is quite quick to let people know that there is no direct relationship between the two. as parents we taught our girls from a young age right from wrong and the ruals were the same if you were dressed or nude,being nude does not remove you from taking responsibility for your actions.
I would venture a quess if one took a look at the statistics of sexual assults on both children and adults you would find that in 99.9% of the cases the victum was dressed when the were assulted.
Why do so many fear “Gods greatest Creation”?
The issues discussed on this page are much more serious than they may at first appear.
There is not a shred of evidence that nudity causes harm to anyone of any age. There is strong evidence that the attitudes associated with prudery result in widespread and often serious harm. It is not coincidence that the teenage pregnancy rate in prudish western countries is typically about ten times that of the least prudish. The pattern is the same for every body image, body shame and body knowledge related indicator. More prudish worse outcomes, often enormously so. For example sexually transmitted infection rates in the USA are typically several tens of times those of the more liberal of European countries. The reasons are well understood and it is long overdue that the prejudiced put their body prejudice aside and did what is right. No matter how deeply held a prejudice may be it can never justify young people dying.
Troglodad: dude, do you only see a dog naked when it doesnt have its collar, why are clothes in one area any different, c’mon mate. Do research look up teen pregnancy rates between textile and naturist families, also pedophile rates, also STD rates, before you dare to say another word about something you are completly ignorant about. You do not realize you are “naked” until you are told, and if you grow up in such an environment, as myself, you don’t see it. You hate science because? It is proven with facts? It has numbers and statistics that back up good-valued common sense. Or are you afraid what you have been told up to this point is a lie, and your defensive mechanisms are acting up in reaction to such the being. At least know what you are talking about, look up more info on it, I’m a kid myself, I experiance it first hand so don’t dare to say you speak for the children; read up on it before you comment, PLEASE.