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As mentioned in an earlier post, I attended a family reunion last week and got to be in the presence of the one man in American who knows everything. My brother-in-law, who is a seminary principal, is certain he has everything figured out and he’s more than happy to dispense his wisdom to whoever is within range of his voice. Never mind that his education is from the University of Phoenix and the farthest he’s ever traveled is to West Coast on a mission. When one of my baby’s was undergoing a life threatening surgery, he had the audacity to e-mail that we should do his baby blessing immediately so he wouldn’t die, not something any mother wants to hear at that stressful moment. I don’t think anyone has ever said something to make me angrier, but at my celestial sex partner’s request I kept a lid on my fury.
So, when we saw him at the family reunion it was a given that he’d say something infuriating or just plain stupid. My baby (who remains unblessed, but survived) has been suffering from heat rash and being outside during the family reunion wasn’t helping so I removed all of his clothes except for his diaper while we say in the shade.“Whoa, get some clothes on that baby!” He said and my husband and I laughed thinking he was joking. Problem was, he wasn’t. He went on, “The other day my neighbor’s son, Ezra, was out playing with a hose- they’re Bible freaks, anyway the kid was nude. I mean the kid is two (he holds his fingers up), TWO,” he spits. “So I pulled up and told his dad to get some clothes on that kid. You just can’t let your kids run around naked, there’s gotta be a cut off,” he said.
My CSP and I spoke that unspoken marital language with our eyes and we both agreed he was an idiot. Our silence made him uncomfortable, which I enjoyed. Earlier that week I’d let my four-year-old swim in the backyard kiddie pool naked because the baby was already in it, nude I might add, and I couldn’t leave him alone to go upstairs and get my older child's swimsuit, plus I didn't really care. I’d won't let him go in the front yard like that, but when he was two I saw no problem with it if the occasion arose.
What do you think, are nude kids something to be chastised over? Where do you think the age “cut off” is for public childhood nudity?
Like a waterfall in slow motion, Part One
2 years ago
3 comments:
My guess is that when a young boy finds his penis and realizes it feels good to play with it, he should no longer be free-ballin' it.
Girls, well, I guess I've never thought too much about it since my daughter who is 3 won't and never would run around naked. She always had to be dressed up like a princess:)
For me, the logical progression of the question your post poses is "When is it time to stop letting your boy and girl bathe together?"
Any thoughts?
Can't say since I only have boys! You'd know better than I, but hopefully one day I'll find out.
My 4-year-old still prefers nudity at home. She has Asperger's, and clothes really irritate her. She knows she has to wear clothes in public and in other people's homes. Even at home we've finally convinced her to at least wear panties most of the time. Whenever her grandparents visit they make such a big deal about it, but it's OUR home. As far as I'm concerned, they can get over it or leave! I think as long as kids are at home, and there isn't unrelated company, 5 and under is perfectly acceptable for nudity. They don't care. They don't look at naked bodies and think anything untoward. And if we are responsible parents, we have taught them about inappropriate touch, so that others do not harm them...
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