Today’s post came after a team discussion on nakedness. Don’t worry, we are not about to promote the virtues of naturism but instead it is on the subject of being naked in front of your children.
I would assume this is the most natural thing in the world to most of you and like me you probably wouldn’t even give it a thought. Why should you?
However, Laura’s friend admitted that he only ever bathed with his children whilst wearing his swimming trunks. When questioned it was partly because he felt his might be strange to be naked in front of his kids but also it was much more to do with the fact that his daughter kept going for his private parts!!! We all laughed but it got us talking about why should he feel like that and why people feel differently about being naked in front of their kids.
I’ve never bothered about it. They watch me get changed and love nothing better than mummy joining them for a bath. I must admit now they are bigger this idea of a shared bath is much less appealing. I am used as a slide, climbed on and spend most of the time frankly feeling bloody freezing. Why is it that we sit in a luke warm bath just to keep our children happy?!! It also results in all manner of pointing and asking of questions like the following.
“Mummy what are those wobbly bits by your arms. The things that always wobble like jelly?”. For a moment I thought she meant my bingo wings! Um, “boobies”.
Edd also gets changed in front of the girls and doesn’t find nakedness an issue but I think he finds it a bit uncomfortable when they ask questions. He’s not ready for answering those yet 🙂
So how do you feel about the whole ‘naked’ issue? And as your children get older do you feel you should stop bearing all?
I shall leave you with Laura’s words of wisdom “If you’ve pushed them out through your *insert whatever word you’re comfortable with here* then a bit of bathing isn’t going to hurt.”
Interesting post! I had a bath with my 2.5 year old son last night for the first time in a while as I’d hot the baby to bed early. He had lots of questions for me, including telling me girls don’t have willies or bottoms. It got me thinking, when should I stop bathing with him? My family were always quite open about nakedness but never to the point I felt uncomfortable so I guess there came a time they felt it appropriate to not be completely naked in front of us. I like my children to be naked and to see us naked so they can see we are all different and our bodies are nothing to be embarrassed about.
It’s such a tough one and it’s the questions that get me! I completely agree that it’s a great way of showing our bodies are nothing to be embarrassed about. xx
This is so funny as my husband and I were having a discussion about this last night. I have baths with our newborn and find we both really enjoy it, I haven’t thought further ahead to consider when I would stop! My husband so far has been reluctant to get in the bath with baby (who is massive and has already outgrown his baby bath haha!) and at first I thought it was because he didn’t feel confident holding a slippery wriggly baby in the water. But then he said to me ‘would I wear my trunks then?’ And I realised he found it a bit weird to be naked with our little one. We haven’t resolved it yet but I will be sending him this blog post! Xx
You can now tell him he isn’t alone in the trunks question! xx
Both my partner and I have baths with our 5 month old son (mostly to hold him steady which is much easier when you’re in the bath rather than outside it!!), which are now beginning to be fun and not just functional! We both enjoy it and don’t think twice about being naked with him. My parents were also pretty comfortable being naked in front of my sister, but I think my dad stopped being naked in front of us earlier than my mum did. I hope that I can be as confident in front of my son and any future kids!
Completely agree that it is easier to be in with them when they are little and I love that your parents had that confidence. Definitely one to take on board yourself xx
Well at 3.5 we can’t all fit in the bath anymore but me and the hubby sleep naked and or our son had half the chance he would spend all day in the all together. It doesn’t both us. We got over the initial confusion of how could I wee without a willy but it did lead to a few funny occasions of Zach shouting usually across a crowded room “nanny you don’t have a willy do you”
It’s always in a crowded room isn’t it?! And Alice is also a naked fan. All the time!!! x
I get used as a slide too Lottie!
I do wonder though at what age/stage we should stop having baths with the kids? And a couple of my friends’ kids have baths with their older relatives and I wonder whether I’d find it strange if Lyra was still having baths with her grandad/uncle for example? x
I have to admit I do think I would find that strange myself. I know they are family but I’m not sure I would be comfortable with that and I’m guessing they wouldn’t be either xx
I think it’s really important to be naked in front of our kids to show them that what they will see in the future in magazines, films, tv, in pop videos etc is not what the real human body is like as we are not all air brushed and supermodels. That said, The last time I had a bath with my then two year old was about 6 months ago and I just ended up feeling cold! She bathed regularly with her dad until her baby sister was born, as now they share baths and I would be comfortable with that for a few more years to come. At the age of three now, she delights in announcing loudly in the public toilets that mummy has a ‘furry bottom’, and when she’s a mummy she’ll have a furry bottom too 🙈😂
Oh Natalie that just made me laugh a lot!! The things little ones come up with 🙂
Good topic of discussion! We have no issues with nakedness around our 2 year old, I see no reason to make her think it is not natural. But I do wonder when you stop doing that, it is a tricky thing to work out and I’m sure different for each family.
I think it’s a really interesting topic and I guess it’s down to what everyone is comfortable with.
We have an 18 month old girl and either my husband or I shower with her daily and happily get dressed in front of her. I see absolutely no problem with it and think it’s healthy for her to see we are all comfortable in our own skin. That said I would only allow it to be my husband and I to shower with her, no other relative or friend as I think there needs to be clear line when it’s ok to be naked and when not.
We have three boys, the eldest will soon be 7, and he doesn’t bat an eyelid at walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth whilst I am in the shower / trying to have a wee / need a towel passing to me (or my husband). I am also still breastfeeding the baby who is 9 months, so they are also used to boobies…
This makes us sound like a much more ‘new age’ family than we are 😂, but nakedness hasn’t really ever been an issue, and I hadn’t even really thought about if and when I shouldn’t be naked in front of them until reading this post…
It’s as much to do with practicalities (for example when swimming and all being in the family changing room – I wouldn’t want to send the 6 year old off on his own!) and all trying to get ready in the mornings as anything else.
Hey Lottie, this is such an interesting topic…and one that my husband and I discuss a LOT. I have literally NO problem in being naked in front of my girls, bathing with them, going to the loo in front of them (the questions are hilarious).
However my husband is never naked in front of the girls (like ever.) He feels really awkward about it, I find this really sad because being naked tells your children that you’re comfortable with your body, that you’re happy with yourself and that ‘this is what a healthy body attitude’ looks like. (This is just my opinion by the way!)
I feel the same way with kissing my girls on the lips, hugging, stroking etc. Remember when Victoria Beckham shared that picture of her kissing Harper on the lips?…people were so divided…which is SO sad.
I think the way we are with our children, in front of our children, the way we talk to one another in front of our children, is all a learning opportunity, to show them that their world should be filled with love, kindness, openness and acceptance. I know it’s kind of deep- but I think it’s THAT fundamental….
Oh man am I totally alone in my thinking? lol