Is Nudity a No-no?

Have your children ever seen you naked? If they have, do you think it’s a big deal?

A guest blogger to the New York Times’ “Motherlode” blog explained in a piece titled “Naked, With Children” why in her family, it’s just not a big deal. I happen to agree with her main point, that whatever works for your family is fine and your business alone, and that the best thing to do is follow your children’s lead about what makes them uncomfortable. Of course, she had plenty of detractors come out of the woodwork to tell her how wrong she is.

In my house, our young children, ages 4 and nearly 2, have indeed occasionally seen us parents in our birthday suits. We’re not exhibitionists or gratuitous nudists who casually hang out in the buff while doing laundry or cooking dinner. We’re much more boring than that. I’m talking about mornings when the whole family winds up in the master bedroom in various states of undress while getting ready for the day – mom and dad taking showers and getting dressed while the little ones watch something on PBS Kids, getting themselves ready as best they can until a parent steps in to help.

Most days, there’s not much to see. I tend to get up first and have at least a bathrobe on before I go about waking up the rest of the house. Then there are days when the kids catch me earlier in my routine and they see a little more skin. Regardless, the kids – especially Isaac whose not yet much of a talker – don’t seem to notice or care. Lucy might sometimes say something silly like “Naked! Naked!” while giggling. But she’s more likely to critique my flab by pointing out my “muffin top” (which she refers to as my “back squish”) than she is to notice that I haven’t yet transitioned to my bathrobe or gotten dressed after taking my morning shower.

For the moment, it seems like there is no effect to us being naked or in our underwear once in a while in front of the kids during the normal course of events at our house. But like the Times’ guest columnist, Aviva Rubin, I realize the importance of being sensitive to what the children think. I imagine that as the kids get older, we will be more careful about hanging out together in the altogether, so to speak. If either one of my children was ever uncomfortable with our relative nudity, we’d certainly make a change.

What’s the pants-off policy in your house? Do you think it’s ok for your children to see you naked or do you keep your privacy at all times? Tell us in the comments.