Seeing Parents Naked

[Allie142]

What is appropriate and how do you deal with it with your kids. We currently have one toddler and another one on the way. Still trying to figure it out. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[krissie328]

My husband has always wore boxers around ds and usually shorts.

I always wear undies but not always a bra. Now that he's three I wear a long shirt and undies at home most of the time. I think that started about 2.5.

I saw my parents naked into my preteens. To me that was too far to wait. My husband says the same thing and agrees he saw his parents naked too old. So we agrees before those memories formed.

 

[cutestuff]

Hi I don't have older kids yet and my parents were always really conservative. Dd is almost 20 months and is still breastfeeding and bed sharing. She will take showers with me 2-3 times a week and dh often lets her in the shower with him too. A friend of mine lets her kids see her naked and they are 12 and almost 10. I can go both ways on it. I think if kids have a good body image and can ask their parents about the parents body they might feel more comfortable with their own. That said I don't know what the answer is. I think I wouldn't mind dd seeing me naked regardless of age since it's just a body but I would have a harder time being okay with that if I had a son. I think in that case it's up to the mom but I'm not sure I would allow it to happen past puberty.

 

[lau86]

I saw my parents naked pretty much till I moved out. I don't think they had any idea I felt uncomfortable with it, but I would never have said anything in their home. I also bathed with my siblings until I was pretty much a teenager which I also hated.
I don't like being naked anyway and neither does hubby. For bed I always wear knickers at the very least. I'm happy for my kids to be naked but I don't want them seeing me naked. Whether that's a result of my childhood or body hang ups I don't know

 

[Tanikins]

I'll probs stop when it becomes a big issue. Oh is never naked infront of them. But my eldest often walks in whilst I'm in the bath. So I guess if he was uncomfortable he'd stop, I can only hope that happens soon

 

[pa2k84]

I still bath and shower (when they want it) with my 3 and 7 year old. Never really thought about it to be honest. They both like sleeping naked but i do tell them to put bottoms on when having stories/games before bed but that is mainly because they won't leave their privates alone at any point when naked, seem to be fighting a loosing battle getting them to stop touching themselves around me/each other

 

[Teri7489]

I've got an almost 4 year old girl and almost 2 year old boy. I shower with both and don't mind being naked around them for now but as soon as any of us become uncomfortable it will stop. My husband has always been uncomfortable with it so will wear boxers around them. He can hold our son in the shower but soon hands him back as he gets freaked out quick. He's always been the same as was brought up with it being a no no thing.

 

[SilasLove]

I have a son and daughter that are 7 and 6 and I often try to seek privacy but it isn't always practical, and with breastfeeding...well, when I'm home I'm not going to be seeking privacy or covering. It's not practical. But I'll often explain I'm getting dressed and so it in private but I'll say 7/10 times I have someone following me in. My son (7) seems to where he is uncomfortable with it and often hides his eyes or turns away. But privacy isn't something I get too often. I'd say they'll eventually stop following me around
I also have a 1 year old and I just go about it the same way.
I will say I do try more the last couple years then I did when they were say 3 and 4.

 

[WackyMumof2]

I didn't with DS1 because I'd gotten in the shower with him at just a few months and I almost dropped him because of the baby wash. I never had any issues until DS2 hit about 2 and I had him in the shower with me (our home doesn't have a bath) as I was washing his hair. But the day he started poking me in the hooch with fascination was the day I NEVER let him in the shower with me let alone walk around naked in front of him. I think it was more curiosity than anything because he has a penis but that day just terrified me.

DS3 I will jump in the shower with, wash him and get out. I'll jump back in later. I only shower him due to a back injury so lugging the baby bath is just pure Hell for me. Few more months and he will be able to sit in the shower on his own.

A friend of our has 4 kids - eldest is 20, youngest is 13 and she will walk around naked in front of them. But she's always taught them that their bodies are nothing to be afraid of and that our reproductive organs and breasts are there for the purpose of pro-creation and feeding infants. It look me a long time to get used to 1 adult, 2 teenagers and 2 pre-teens (at the time) walking to and from the shower naked but hubby and I also told her that given how she had raised her children, then we wanted her to leave things as they were for them. We didn't want them to feel embarrassed. It took a while to get used to it but we got there. I mean, my God, she's VERY open with her children and I admire her for that. I sure couldn't do it!

 

[kirstybumx3]

Rio still sees us naked. Me more so than OH, as at the moment I'm usually sat in the house with nothing but my knickers on because I'm hot and uncomfortable.
Perhaps I'll try to cover up more once the baby is born, it hasn't really occurred to me when I should stop. Rio doesn't pay any attention.

 

[MindUtopia]

Are you comfortable with it? I would do it as long as you're comfortable doing it and your kids are comfortable as well. My husband doesn't parade around naked but certainly our daughter has seen him naked before. She sees me naked all the time (she's 4) and honestly I can't really imagine a time when I would feel like that is inappropriate. When she's older if she doesn't like it, she can always look away. But certainly I change in ladies changing rooms at the gym or spa when there are no private changing areas, so it's no weirder to change in front of her and I don't foresee stopping. I don't remember ever seeing my dad naked but certainly always saw my mum naked. She used to work long hours so when she'd get home and was getting ready for bed, I used to sit on the toilet while she had a bath and we'd talk. So I definitely saw her naked at like 15/16, though she'd still change in front of me now, which wouldn't be weird to me.

If I had a boy, I imagine it would be different and I probably wouldn't go out of my way to be naked in front of him from school age. But I wouldn't want to make it a big deal about it if it did happen by accident either. If you think in traditional cultures, breastfeeding until 5 or 6 is quite normal so nudity surely is as well.

Basically I think do whatever you're comfortable with as you don't want to come across as embarrassed about your body or make them feel embarrassed about theirs.

 

[minties]

The girls see me naked, Thomas doesn't now days. I breastfeed though and he sees boobs.

 

[staralfur]

My LO is 5 and I still hop in the bath with her sometimes, so obviously she sees me naked there. She's not phased by it at all. I don't really bathe with her very frequently anymore and can't see doing it for much longer, but more because she likes space in the bath and doesn't care as much about me playing with her in it.

I change in front of her and will until she's uncomfortable with it. I would hang out in my mom's room while she changed or talk with her while she was in the bath until I was nearly a teenager and then I felt like it was unnecessary so I stopped. But looking back I don't have any issues with it and I like the idea of being pretty open about it with my daughter too until she doesn't want to see it anymore.

Seeing my mom's body kind of helped me come to terms with my own when I hit puberty and I was never surprised about anything that happened. I also never felt like talking about it or showing my body to doctors, my mom, etc. if I thought there might be an issue was uncomfortable because I never felt that nakedness was "taboo." So I think I actually benefited a lot from the openness.

 

[Bevziibubble]

I will just carry on until they say they are not comfortable with it. I saw my mum naked well into my teens and it was never an issue for us. It may well be different for boys though.

 

[SarahBear]

We don't hide nakedness in our house. My daughter is 4 and a half and my son is approaching two and a half. I have decided that I'm going to start closing the door when I'm changing and stuff like that, but if my daughter or son walk in on me, I will make no effort to hide or act like it's wrong. Not sure when my husband will make a similar decision. We haven't talked about it recently. However, if adults don't teach that it's weird or wrong, kids just accept nakedness as normal. We do talk about not being naked in public though.

 

[zorak]

We don't hide nakedness in our house. My daughter is 4 and a half and my son is approaching two and a half. I have decided that I'm going to start closing the door when I'm changing and stuff like that, but if my daughter or son walk in on me, I will make no effort to hide or act like it's wrong. Not sure when my husband will make a similar decision. We haven't talked about it recently. However, if adults don't teach that it's weird or wrong, kids just accept nakedness as normal. We do talk about not being naked in public though.

Our approach is very similar. I've recently started closing the door but if either boy comes in that's fine. I have started introducing the idea of privacy in general terms, not all about nakedness but just that everyone wants to be alone sometimes. The only time I really try to dodge M seeing me in the loo is when I'm on my period as I just don't want to explain that this early.

 

[catty]

My kids see me naked everyday and iv never thought anything of it really. If my son told me to stop i would though. The only time i feel awkward is when i have a period and im questioned for wearing a nappy! Haha but i cant even hide as they walk in on me in the toilet, id love to have a little more privacy but they dont seem to care yet.

 

[Scout]

I've seen my mom naked all my life, but not because she walked around that way, but because I often talked with her while she bathed (best time to get her alone). I plan doing same with daughter. I don't walk around naked but I don't make it a big deal if she walks in on me changing or while I'm in the bath. If she becomes uncomfortable then she can stop coming in on me.

 

[lindseymw]

My two still see DH & I naked (8 & 6). They'll happily walk in whilst I'm in the shower / bath or when I'm getting dried or changed. I don't exactly strut around the house naked but I don't try & shy away either if I'm in the bath or they walk in the bedroom whilst I'm getting dressed.

The only rule we have in our house in terms of privacy is if the bathroom door is shut, you don't just walk in (mainly for me for when it's that time of the month). If they need something urgently, they knock & tell me what they want. Any other time, they just walk in.

 

[impatient1]

My two have seen both of us in naked while getting changed. They both still shower with me sometimes as well.