nudity within the home

Absent

Earlier this week my 2.5 year old grandson needed the bathroom while I was in the middle of having a shower and washing my hair. I let him in, and he sat on the loo staring at me with a very strange expression on his face. I do hope the poor lad isn't scarred for life!

I've never seen my parents naked, and only a couple of times in underwear. When my own boys were small, I was happy for them to see me naked when they were little, but I tended to avoid it as they got bigger. I think it will be the same with the grandchildren.

"specky" - if you are anything like me (which from your name I would guess you are) then all you had to do was take your glasses off!

My Mum once said to me, "your Dad respects me, he never looks at me when I'm getting undressed". I was a lusty young woman at the time and her comment made me feel terribly sad for her.

However, my ex husband seemed to revel in walking around naked which always reminded me that I had a pile of ironing which needed doing.

"absent" - reminds me of the (?true) story of the little girl out and about in the fresh air who saw a similar sight and said: "That is a useful thing to take on a picnic!" Not as good as my sheewee of course!

i am in my seventies and don't remember seeing my parents naked, but it was very cold in those days with no central heating and ice inside the windows! When bringing up my children, we didn't deliberately walk around naked, but neither did we cover up if they came in.

This does remind me of a joke though.

A small boy and girl were sharing a bath, when the little girl said to her mother, "Will I have one of those when I grow up, Mummy?"

"If you're a good girl,you will have one," Mummy said, "and if you're naughty, you'll have lots!"

Must say I have always been more embarrassed about my NOT flat belly than about showing any other bits!

Hmm...

Babysitting a friend's little daughter and their next door neighbour's little son in the friends house, I ran their bath and told them both to use the loo. The little girl watched the boy with fascination and then said, "That's a handy little gadget".

I only saw my father undressed when we were all sharing a room on holiday. The rest of the year he was up and dressed before me and in bed after me at night so the opportunity never arose. My mother never worried about nudity in spite of her convent education DH and I used to roam around naked when we were young (and SLIM) but these days we prefer not to inflict such sights on each other.

A friend of my mother always wore trousers when her children were little (quite unusual and liberated way back in the 50s!) Her son (aged around 3) used to lie on his back on the floor and wriggle around innocently until his head was looking up the skirt of some poor unsuspecting woman. He stopped doing it when his mum stopped being 'liberated' and started to dress in skirts!!

I never saw my Father naked, but I did my Mum and it was never an issue as I grew up.

I remember when my eldest son was about three years old, having a fascination for seeing me naked, and no matter what he was doing, would always dash to appear in the bedroom or bathroom to 'catch-me'. It got quite unnerving in a way, but I didn't make an issue of it and he grew out of it. My younger son was indifferent as he grew up.

Now I have small grandchildren who stay with me, as we don't have a bath, only showers, the only way I can get them showered is if I go in with them, which isn't an issue for me or them, they are all used to it being relaxed in their respective homes. Obviously as they get older and can wash themselves it won't be necessary for me to join them.

No nudity, but no prudery, just a very strong sense of privacy. DF, as the only man in a family of women was fairly defensive. I saw him in pyjamas, but no further. I did see DM in her undies but, again, no further,

DH and I were quite happy for DS and DD to see us naked for the first two or three years, but some how after that we drifted back into an attitude of personal privacy. Partly for my children's safety I wanted them to know that all our bodies were private and nobody else had a right to see them or touch them in intimate areas. By being consistent from close family outwards I hoped they would not be confused by different rules for different people and who fell in each block.

nina that is why I taught my DDs the correct anatomical names. Too often had tricky situations trying to work out what kids in the calss were talking about!
My DGD2 is slightly deaf and has difficultly distinguishing B /V and is convinced women have breasts, bulbas and baginas.

Like Gillybob my mum was a dreadful prude, and I am afraid I became like that as well.
DD once commented that her brother had a "ping" (his term for penis) and that "Daddy had a big grown up ping" We all started avoiding wandering about in the nude as the children neared school age.

My parents were reasonably relaxed about nudity. I saw my mum feeding my brother, I bathed with her and though I do not remember Dad walking about naked but if he was dressing and I was in the bedroom/bathroom he just carried on putting his pants on etc. Our own kids bathed with us and DGC see us first thing, showering and getting dressed if they have had a sleep over. Our bodies are 'natural' and we treat them as such even now when they are not in prime condition! We taught the girls that in the home was different to being out and about so' pants on in public' after the occasion when DDs were 3yr & 1 yr and we were asked to dress our daughters at the open air paddling pool in Rottingdean!

Gally we used to call it a tail when toilet training DS.
I went to collect him from reception class one day his teacher took me to one side and as she couldn't understand why when asked to name something with a tail he insisted me !

This reminds me of the time when DG1 aged 3, wandered into bathroom when DH had just got out of shower and said, " My daddy's got one of these too !"

What an interesting thread! I've never really thought about nudity in the family before, maybe it wasn't such a big deal.
But I'd never seen a nude male before I lost my virginity - a bit of a shock.
We lived by the sea when I was a child and I have a photo of me aged about 4 in the nude, changing after bathing. So we can't have been so prudish.

I'm glad he is not alone aka. He is a real boob menace. If his mum picks him up he immediately shoves his hand down her top, strokes a boob and sucks his thumb very happily. He has caused her to lactate sometimes.

He tries to do it with others and often says to me "have you got a nipple?" He does try the plunging the hand down trick with me, but I usually wear a polo neck in the winter and it is a challenge too far. He contents himself with patting only. He is a slightly feral child - a real child of nature - but hugely affectionate and great fun. We love him loads.

Mishap my oldest GS was the same when he was 2-3. I used to take him swimming which necessitated us both naked in the shower together. He was fascinated by my boobs. One question he asked was why did I still have them if I didn't have any babies that needed feeding anymore. Good question I thought.

He's 7 now and has grown out of this you'll be pleased to hear.

No nudity in my childhood and no prudery in my children's upbringing, we just didn't think about clothes on or off. Now DiL doesn't even like us going into the bathroom when GC are having a bath! Very odd.

Remember on my wedding morning. I had my bath and came out onto the landing naked, with as usual,my nose in a book.
My father came out of my parents bedroom also naked and with his nose in a book.
As we crossed, we both glanced up and good morning.
This was usual in our house and the same with us and our children.

Our children and GC have always wandered into the bathroom or bedroom when we have been washing or dressing and I know that it is the same in their homes. Youngest GS (2.5) is a bit of a boob man though and gazes longingly at the comfy cushions. He will grow out of it - or will he?

I never saw either of my parents naked at all, except, as Gally says, when they were at the very end of their lives. My Mum wandered about naked towards the end and dragged me into the loo while she had her bowels open in the nude - she was very demented. It was very sad. And poor dad lost all dignity at the end - he had a convene catheter which we all had to deal with. At first he minded - and it was worse really when he stopped minding as you knew he was "gone."

Thought 1 - best kept indoors
thought 2- reminded of Annette Crosbie's character in Calendar Girls drawing the line at "front bottoms"

My middle DD once told my Mum that 'Daddy's got a tail'. She thought it was hilarious. She wasn't a prude and I often saw her naked but I never saw my Dad naked until he was ill and dying and I had to deal with certain aspects of his demise which I would rather not have done. Like Feetle's step daughter, I was always fascinated by his shaving routine in the mornings and used to perch on the loo and watch him. Our children saw us naked but less so as they grew up and had friends in the house. Nowadays, I would rather keep my nudity to myself - not a pretty sight