What age is inappropriate for a child to see a parent naked

anon123456

Hi Everyone,

I'm just looking to guage what the general publics view on this,
This is more for our future rather than now as our daughter is only three months.

I grew up with a father who was borderline a nudist and have inherited some of those traits. He would be naked in front of my sister and i till he left my mother ( i was 6 sister was 9)
Not wanting to be too personal but most of the time at home i am either nude or nearly. It's just how i am comfortable my wife is happy with this at the moment.

However she made a comment last night that i've only got a few more months of this which got me thinking on it. I assumed i wouldnt have to stay clothed all the time for 5-10 years not months. In modern society when would it become innapropriate to be nude in front of my daughter?

I have no problem either way as my daughter is clearly the most important thing and would never do anything to make her or my wife uncomfortable or do anything generally considered rude or immoral.

My wifes suggestion is to stop when she notices her body is different to mine and when she asks questions on the matter.
Thanks for your feedback
Paul

quidsy

I have a nearly 7 year old ds & he sees me naked daily, getting dressed, in the shower etc but we don't sit around nude at home in general.

Me & oh did have a chat recently about probably closing the door when getting dressed or showering as ds, interestingly, is the one telling us to close the door when he has a shower or a wee, which we of course respect but I really don't like this making an issue of the differences between men & women, my son knows I have different bits to him but as he grows older we will respect his need for privacy & also acknoledge that he might feel uncomfortable seeing me, his mum, naked in the shower, so will start to slowly introduce a new level of privacy.

But prior to that last few months, I would not have considered my nakedness as a problem at all.

Me & oh on the other hand have no hang ups about being naked in front of each other, pot bellies, saggy boobs & stretch marks included.

I think you wife is being a bit precious imo, my neice had baths with her dad until she was about 5 years old & would proudly inform anyone who listened that her dad had a willy & she had a 'gina.! lol

sulkisu

anon123456 wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

I'm just looking to guage what the general publics view on this,
This is more for our future rather than now as our daughter is only three months.

I grew up with a father who was borderline a nudist and have inherited some of those traits. He would be naked in front of my sister and i till he left my mother ( i was 6 sister was 9)
Not wanting to be too personal but most of the time at home i am either nude or nearly. It's just how i am comfortable my wife is happy with this at the moment.

However she made a comment last night that i've only got a few more months of this which got me thinking on it. I assumed i wouldnt have to stay clothed all the time for 5-10 years not months. In modern society when would it become innapropriate to be nude in front of my daughter?

I have no problem either way as my daughter is clearly the most important thing and would never do anything to make her or my wife uncomfortable or do anything generally considered rude or immoral.

My wifes suggestion is to stop when she notices her body is different to mine and when she asks questions on the matter.
Thanks for your feedback
Paul

Have you asked your sister how she felt (if she can remember) by your father's nudity when she was 9? As a same sex child and being younger, it was probably different for you, but she may well have been conscious or embarassed. I think your wife's suggestion is good, although that gives you several years not months. I read an article about parents in your situation, where it was suggested that they start to cover up (with children of the opposite sex) once the child starts school - not sure what the logic was behind this.

peachyprice

Your child will let you know when the time is right to cover up, one day you'll get 'for goodness sake dad, put some pants on, you're sooooooo embarrassing'. Then is the right time, immediatley, no if's no butts (excuse the pun ). It may be never, it may be next week. As long as you are both comfortable neither is wrong.

What is wrong is you wife forcing things to change because she sees something sinister in naked bodies.

sulkisu

peachyprice wrote: »

Your child will let you know when the time is right to cover up, one day you'll get 'for goodness sake dad, put some pants on, you're sooooooo embarrassing'. Then is the right time, immediatley, no if's no butts (excuse the pun ). It may be never, it may be next week. As long as you are both comfortable neither is wrong.

What is wrong is you wife forcing things to change because she sees something sinister in naked bodies.

Op said his wife has suggested he cover up when their daughter starts asking questions, which is pretty much the same thing that you have said.

quidsy

^^Umm,. no the OP's child is 3 months old & the op's wife said he will need to cover up in the next few months. No child of under a year old is going to care if a dads willy is dangling free.

I'm just looking to guage what the general publics view on this,
This is more for our future rather than now as our daughter is only three months.

However she made a comment last night that i've only got a few more months of this which got me thinking on it.

sulkisu

Ok, well perhaps OP is confused about what his wife actually said because his final paragraph states that wife suggests he cover up once his daughter starts asking questions - if she is only 3 months old, that clearly won't happen in a few months.

vicstick86

There was never a problem with nudity in my house my mum and dad werent shy when getting changed, etc. They didnt sit around naked or anything but they didnt hide it either.
They let me have my privacy when I got to my teenage years and needed it, but when I was little Iiked to remove my clothes a fair amount anyway, esp. In the summer, my mum struggled to keep them on me.
I think its actually given me a really normal and good healthy approach towards my body image.
Im due to have a littleun this year and plan to have a laid back approach to nudity, I consider bodies and bits to be normal, but you should do what you feel comfortable with.

Person_one

I'm not a parent, but I've noticed with nieces and nephews that shortly after they start using the toilet they seem to have a natural urge for some privacy. That seems like a good time to start covering up a bit around an opposite sex child. With a child of the same sex, I don't see any need unless they tell you to. My mum still wanders around in the nude when I go to visit and I'm 29.

You don't need to be wrapped up from head to toe all the time though. A pair of boxers or shorts that keep everything covered is fine for pottering around the house. After all, she'll see you in swim shorts when you go on holiday.

Lovelyjoolz

Peachyprice has it right - your child will tell you when to cover up. And in no uncertain terms!!

My dad used to wander from bedroom to bathroom and back naked and I regularly bathed with my mum. It only stopped out of respect for my brother when he hit puberty and began to get embarrassed.

I think that covering up just because you think you should sends a message to a child that there's something shameful about the human body and it should be embarrassed about and hidden away.

OrkneyStar

DS is nearly 7. He still sees us entering shower etc. I no longer use the loo in front of him, but daddy does obviously when we are out and about. The boundaries seem to be gradually being set in our house and no-one seems unhappy, that said most nakedness in our house is in the bathroom or bedroom, not generally!