When should your child stop seeing you naked?

[KariC]

Right now that baby makes me uncomfortable! He stares and stares, as if he's thinking, "Hmmmm....easy access to food. Think I'm hungry......" Somedays I'd like to take a shower without a 6 month old ogling me.

Other than that, our twins have definately entered their modesty phase, which is fine with me. They were getting beyond curious and into downright rude.

Seriously, by 3, I was totally locking all bathroom doors. I wanted the peace more than the privacy, but it worked for both aspects. I even lock my husband out quite frequently....sometimes a mom just needs the peace. (Can you tell I'm craving some right now....can I find a reason to take a bath at 5:20 on a Saturday?).

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

Seriously, by 3, I was totally locking all bathroom doors. I wanted the peace more than the privacy, but it worked for both aspects. I even lock my husband out quite frequently....sometimes a mom just needs the peace. (Can you tell I'm craving some right now....can I find a reason to take a bath at 5:20 on a Saturday?).

I SO totally agree with you!!!! Calgon, take me away (to a nice, quiet, LOCKED room).

 

[Momvic5]

This thread is too funny. My children are older (6-11yrs) and I still don't get a moments peace in the tub. Since they are older, I now lock the door, but I still have to yell over the running water for them to address their father with their issue. We are not a run naked kind of family, but we do not hide from one another either. If my dh or I are changing or bathing and one of the kids walk in, we just remind them to give us "Privacy Please."

We have been blessed with both boys and girls, and they are pretty much familiar with how they are different. We haven't made a big deal out of seeing one another naked, but since we are all starting to get older, we have started requesting a little privacy.

 

[disneygal2007]

It is different for every family.

I have never been naked in front of my boys. I would never feel comfortable with that, even when they were little. But I will walk around the house in a long T-shirt and undies. Everything is covered up, but still not "decent."

Dawn

Same here. There are just something little boys shouldn't see.

 

[Rylee]

At one time, my answering machine message said...

Me (Mom) - "Hi, you've reached the so-n-so's. We can't take your call right now 'cause we're all in the shower. Please leave a message and we will return your call. Thank-you."

6 year old son - "Hey, Dad, pass the soap!"

Beep!

 

[hoosiergirl7]

I think the answer for the same sex could be never.

There is nothing wrong with nudity. Nudity does not equal sex.

I remember seeing my father naked around age 11/12. I could not sleep and was reading under covers with a flashlight. My father walks by my room to get some water (this is around 3:00am), I hear the noise and turn my flashlight on my naked father.

No biggie - I already knew about boy parts and girl parts and had seem books and pictures. Not scarred for life.

Of course there could be problems if a parent prances around naked all the time in front of the opposite sex, but occasional glimpses - nothing wrong with that.

You took the words right out of my mouth. I'm almost 33 and when I'm visiting my parents I will go into my parent's bedroom after my mom has showered and sometime she's still naked. My mom still sees me naked. My DS 4 doesn't think twice about seeing us naked. Heck, a lot of times we still throw him in the shower with us. If he's up early enough he'll shower with daddy and other mornings he'll shower with me. Our bodies are a wonderful thing and we should not be ashamed of them.

I grew up in a family where nudity was not an evil. I'm seen by doctors on a regular basis and I have lost all modesty. I couldn't count the number of times doctors have seen my breasts or seen me completely naked.

I know for lots of people this is a comfort thing so you have to do what's right for you.

 

[TinaLala]

My girls have never seen DH naked once they became conscious he stayed dressed. Me on the other hand, they take every chance they can to see me naked. I have to start keeping doors closed and locking the bathroom door during showertime to stop the interruptions of my 8 & 5yos. They are pretty curious about mommy's ****ies because "they are so big" thank you. I keep telling them that one day their ****s are going to get that big too and they still don't believe me.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

I wanted to add a funny - my son asked me where my Pen*s was and I said, "Girls don't have one. We're made different from boys." He then retorted, "You don't have one because it's broken and they are fixing it."

 

[WantToGoNow]

It's not an uncommon thing for my ds6 to walk in while I'm changing, in the shower or on the pot -- he doesn't even blink an eye. I don't walk around that way in front of him though. My dd4 sees me all the time (as does dd24). Dd24 on the other hand has always been one to walk around without clothes -- even in front of dh (her step-father - she was 16 when we married). Dh does not let anyone of them see him undressed. I stopped letting ds6 and dd4 bath together about 1.5 years ago - since she grabbed hold of ds' ***** in the bath.

 

[jagafen]

I guess we're on the "more free" side of the bell curve on this one....our son is almost 5 and nudity in our house (on someone's part) is a daily occurrance. He walks in on us, we walk in on him.....It's not a big deal....the other day, he asked me why I had "baby ****s" on my breasts....and I explained what they were and what they were used for. He was fine with my answer, because he knew I was being honest with him. For our family, more of a message is sent by parent's freaking out over seen body parts and "those" questions than if it's handled in an age appropriate manner. Body parts have specific names, not cute references. A lot of the reason that we take such an open stance with nudity and the human body is because I grew up in a repressed household with a dirty uncle..... I didn't dare say the words let alone what was going on.... heaven forbid, I wanted my son to have the vocabulary and be comfortable saying "*****" without feeling ashamed.

On the other hand, we forgot to tell my Italian, old-school, MIL about our 4 year old son's body vocabulary.....he was spending the night at her house, and during bath time told her..." Mommy says I'm the only one who gets to wash my *****!!" That was one interesting phone call!

 

[_queenie_]

I stopped letting ds6 and dd4 bath together about 1.5 years ago - since she grabbed hold of ds' ***** in the bath.

My DS17 and my DD13 took a bath together from when my DD was 1.5/2 until she was 3.5 and DS was 7 (our old house was on the water so we had to conserve hot water). That way they always knew that boys and girls were different, but I knew it was time for them to stop bathing together after DS said "Is it normal for girls to be looking at boy's privates?".
Awkward one to answer!

DD3.5 is lucky (me as well I guess), she's always taken a bath alone!

 

[Terry36]

DD 9 walks in on me all the time while taking a bath. She does not care; she would sit right beside me and hold a conversation like nothing was going on. She does not however ever see her father.

She decided @ 8 that she no longer wanted her dad to see her naked. She no longer was him to kiss or hug her either ! Girls I guess.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

This thread is too funny. My children are older (6-11yrs) and I still don't get a moments peace in the tub. Since they are older, I now lock the door, but I still have to yell over the running water for them to address their father with their issue. We are not a run naked kind of family, but we do not hide from one another either. If my dh or I are changing or bathing and one of the kids walk in, we just remind them to give us "Privacy Please."

We have been blessed with both boys and girls, and they are pretty much familiar with how they are different. We haven't made a big deal out of seeing one another naked, but since we are all starting to get older, we have started requesting a little privacy.

Mine are 8.5 and almost 11. The only modest one around here is DH! The kids still come out in the living room in the mornings and get dressed before school. I imagine DD will change her opinion on this very quick. As far as being old enough to realize the difference- I feel like my kids have always known, since they are only 2 years apart. I remember explaining it to DD when I had my sonogram with DS and we knew he was going to be a boy. This was also when she was potty training and wanted to know why boys can do it outside/standing up.

 

[Aliceacc]

Priceless mommy moment:

As I was stepping out of the shower this morning, my 4 year old daughter burst into the bathroom with "MOMMY, it's SNOWING outside!!!!!!"

(Yeah, sure. Just enough to tint the grass a lighter shade of greenish/brown.)

But she was so excited she couldn't wait till I got out. I could have sprouted horns and a tail, and she wouldn't have noticed!

 

[HappyLawyer]

i think it just really depends, my sister wore thongs, my two year old niece wanted one and my sister explained to her how they are for big girls not little ones, what did my niece do, she took her undies and pulled them up into well let's just say she made her a thong, after that we thought she should not see her mommy without clothes.

 

[glass slipper girl]

My 7 yo DS started being a little too curious about seeing me naked right about the time I stopped nursing my youngest. He had always hung out with me a lot when I was nursing and my comment to DH was that everyone in this family but DS 5 is quite interested in my ****s! I never made a big deal about the occasional flash DSs got b/c baby would latch off and look around. When I stopped nursing him it was like DS 7 was on a mission to see me naked. That made me a little uncomfy so since then I try to make an effort to be a bit more private. He sees me in a bra and undies several times a week and that doesn't bother me but I try to avoid situations where he would see me naked. If he does walk in on me getting in/out of the shower or the odd thing he just HAS to tell me while I'm in there I don't make a big deal of it at all. I don't even comment on it. I just try to avoid it when I can, if it happens it's not a huge deal. The boys see DH naked all the time though.