parental nudity talked about on The Doctors TV talk show

[Bob S.]

On the Doctors TV show, they had a segment that was initiated when a Danish father posted a picture of him taking a bath with his 2-year-old daughter. It was mostly a technical discussion about when the best time for a parent to stop being naked in front of their children. The pediatrician of the group placed it at around five, but the main host stated that there are families who are naked around each other all the time. A few jokes and a funny anecdote, but I thought done professionally.

Bob S.

[NudonyII]

That's not unlike many "expert panels" I've seen, where parental/family nudity is brought up as a topic. Typically they talk about how harmless, or even beneficial it is during preschool years; but then they usually talk about a "cut off" point. Some have placed it between 3 and 5; others between 5 and 7. Whatever the case, they always emphasize this nebulous "moment in time" where family nudity is no longer healthy for the child.

When my daughter was a preschooler, I was also concerned with this "cut off" point and whether there was going to come a time where my home-nudity was no longer healthy for my daughter. I did my research, looked up articles - professional and online - on that topic, and talked with a few nudists and nudity-friendly parents. For some people the "cut off" point was just a selected age (often 4); for others it was specific behavior (like staring or questioning). Being the analytical guy that I am, I was befuddled by the variety of criterias. But being that my daughter was around 3 at the time, I figured I had at least a year or two before having to make that decision. I shared my concerns with her mother, who had embraced home-nudity herself at that point, who encouraged and prompted me to just "wait and see."

We relocated somewhere along that time, and opportunities for social nudity became more plentiful. We went as a family to a nudist resort and my daughter got to experience social nudity. And she took to it like a fish to water. I fixed up the back patio to our new home and we were able to play nude in the backyard. Her enthusiasm with family and social nudity caused me to rethink this "cut off" point. As long as she was happy and having fun being nude with me and/or others, did there really need to be a stopping point? This continued over the next few years, way past the "recommended stop date"; and she never showed any signs of discomfort, oftentimes actually preferring nudity for recreation or relaxation.
Her inquisitiveness did grow and before long she was asking questions. Her mother was more helpful than I was. Her questions were answered simply and directly, and she moved on rather easily when her curiosity was responded to in a constructive, and instructive manner for her. Again, it turned out to not be a reason to just quit.

Eventually there was a "cut off" point. It was when she reached puberty and she was no longer comfortable being openly nude - and frowned at my nudity. The decision was made based on her behavioral changes.

I guess my point to all this is that for many parents, fear is the driving factor behind this "cut off" point. If the child is happy, comfortable and well-adjusted being part of a nude family; then there's no reason to just quit because some "expert" said you should. Certainly, a nude household will bring about some challenges; challenges that CAN be faced and overcome. And certaqinly, if the child exhibits clear and distinct signs that home-nudity is not working for them; then it's time to reevaluate,

[Naturist Zoar]

Well written and well lived Nudonyll. Congratulations!