Comments on: Nude Awakening http://www.babble.com.au/2009/08/10/bare-faced-cheek/ The magazine for a new generation of parents Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:08:22 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Rob http://www.babble.com.au/2009/08/10/bare-faced-cheek/comment-page-1/#comment-9521 Rob Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:35:59 +0000 http://www.babble.com.au/?p=22886#comment-9521 I have four children, 2 boys and 2 girls although the eldest girl is now a young woman of 18. I grew up in a house where nudity by my mother did not exist. My parents were divorced and my dad took us to swimming pools like the YMCA so we saw him naked ( I had three brothers). I think young boys are curious about everything including their mothers' body parts. So to introduce them to natural nudity in the home from bath time to shower time, to dressing time, to rush-to-the laundry time is normal in a household and therefore is natural for the boys to witness and be a part of. I think a woman who likes her body and walks tall and proud when she is naked tells boys that there is natural beauty in a woman being unclothed. This is a very good lesson for young boys. I think if a man finds a woman who is ashamed or extremely reserved about being nude, then he can be a more relaxed man about it, and maybe even not be a judgemental young man if he learned it was okay from his own mother. I actually think boys about eleven or twelve need to be told its alright for a woman to be proud of her body and to witness a mother who wears bathing suits and gets wet at public beaches and public pools because it presents a healthy lifestyle that mixes the female form with healthy sports activities and for pre puberty boys it helps them to see that women don't need to be covered up all the time and there is everything normal and natural about brief attire for outdoors and sporting activities. I suppose the same is true of tennis skirts. I suppose the opposite would be the Elizabethan era when women were covered with metres of fabric and boys spent time wondering what was so important about "covering up" the female body. I have four children, 2 boys and 2 girls although the eldest girl is now a young woman of 18. I grew up in a house where nudity by my mother did not exist. My parents were divorced and my dad took us to swimming pools like the YMCA so we saw him naked ( I had three brothers). I think young boys are curious about everything including their mothers’ body parts. So to introduce them to natural nudity in the home from bath time to shower time, to dressing time, to rush-to-the laundry time is normal in a household and therefore is natural for the boys to witness and be a part of. I think a woman who likes her body and walks tall and proud when she is naked tells boys that there is natural beauty in a woman being unclothed. This is a very good lesson for young boys. I think if a man finds a woman who is ashamed or extremely reserved about being nude, then he can be a more relaxed man about it, and maybe even not be a judgemental young man if he learned it was okay from his own mother. I actually think boys about eleven or twelve need to be told its alright for a woman to be proud of her body and to witness a mother who wears bathing suits and gets wet at public beaches and public pools because it presents a healthy lifestyle that mixes the female form with healthy sports activities and for pre puberty boys it helps them to see that women don’t need to be covered up all the time and there is everything normal and natural about brief attire for outdoors and sporting activities. I suppose the same is true of tennis skirts. I suppose the opposite would be the Elizabethan era when women were covered with metres of fabric and boys spent time wondering what was so important about “covering up” the female body.

]]> By: kids chopsticks http://www.babble.com.au/2009/08/10/bare-faced-cheek/comment-page-1/#comment-6780 kids chopsticks Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:21:15 +0000 http://www.babble.com.au/?p=22886#comment-6780 being naked is natural and we shouldn't have to hide it especially within our own family. As for walking around the house naked, though, we try to teach our little one not to do that right from the start. being naked is natural and we shouldn’t have to hide it especially within our own family. As for walking around the house naked, though, we try to teach our little one not to do that right from the start.

]]> By: sissyhankshaw http://www.babble.com.au/2009/08/10/bare-faced-cheek/comment-page-1/#comment-6768 sissyhankshaw Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:01:37 +0000 http://www.babble.com.au/?p=22886#comment-6768 There is a lot of evidence to suggest that it's kids who are never exposed to adult nudity and are not encouraged to talk about their bodies using the correct terms who are far more vulnerable to sexual abuse. The more we talk about and normalise our bodies, the harder it is for a predator to convince our children that sexual abuse is a "secret" to be kept from mum and dad. Showering with kids is a great way to start talking about body parts and difference between boys and girls etc. It is also a good introduction to the idea of puberty when pubic hair is noticed and discussed! My daughter is only 4 and showers with her dad and I all the time, as I did with my parents. We were all naked around each other until my brother and I hit puberty and got embarrased about our bodies (as pre-teens do!) but our parents were never secretive about their bodies and I feel like we had a pretty natural, healthy approach to our bodies. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that it’s kids who are never exposed to adult nudity and are not encouraged to talk about their bodies using the correct terms who are far more vulnerable to sexual abuse. The more we talk about and normalise our bodies, the harder it is for a predator to convince our children that sexual abuse is a “secret” to be kept from mum and dad.

Showering with kids is a great way to start talking about body parts and difference between boys and girls etc. It is also a good introduction to the idea of puberty when pubic hair is noticed and discussed!

My daughter is only 4 and showers with her dad and I all the time, as I did with my parents. We were all naked around each other until my brother and I hit puberty and got embarrased about our bodies (as pre-teens do!) but our parents were never secretive about their bodies and I feel like we had a pretty natural, healthy approach to our bodies.

]]> By: Robert http://www.babble.com.au/2009/08/10/bare-faced-cheek/comment-page-1/#comment-6761 Robert Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:59:32 +0000 http://www.babble.com.au/?p=22886#comment-6761 Great article. I think you are on the right track, and you may open a few minds to considering and agreeing with your position. I think you can trace a lot of the sexual mis-conduct, or perhaps eventual illegal sexual activity to a lack of exposure to nudity while growing up. We have whole generations of kids taught to have and express shame about their own bodies, their silblings and their parents. Remember the furor over Janet Jackson's nipple? The fascination with Britney Spears lack of underwear....the "upskirting" video phenomenon? All are products of our national phobia with bodies in general and breasts, pubic hair and penises in particular. If all these body parts were a little more commonly seen, and seen as just normal human parts...perhaps some of the shame and perversity would receed. Thanks for an interesting view point. I think your boys will appreciate it, and so will their girlfriends and children in the future. Robert Great article. I think you are on the right track, and you may open a few minds to considering and agreeing with your position.

I think you can trace a lot of the sexual mis-conduct, or perhaps eventual illegal sexual activity to a lack of exposure to nudity while growing up.

We have whole generations of kids taught to have and express shame about their own bodies, their silblings and their parents. Remember the furor over Janet Jackson’s nipple? The fascination with Britney Spears lack of underwear….the “upskirting” video phenomenon? All are products of our national phobia with bodies in general and breasts, pubic hair and penises in particular.

If all these body parts were a little more commonly seen, and seen as just normal human parts…perhaps some of the shame and perversity would receed.

Thanks for an interesting view point. I think your boys will appreciate it, and so will their girlfriends and children in the future.

Robert

]]> By: Wayne L. Christensen http://www.babble.com.au/2009/08/10/bare-faced-cheek/comment-page-1/#comment-6748 Wayne L. Christensen Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:18:45 +0000 http://www.babble.com.au/?p=22886#comment-6748 Great job and I believe you and your children are/will be better for it. In our home we also lived this way and with a daughter growing up. She thought nothing of it, nor us of her. She is an adult now and still confides in us on every topic you can imagine and a level of trust that parents often say they want. She lives ten hours away and still we talk to each most days. Great job and I believe you and your children are/will be better for it. In our home we also lived this way and with a daughter growing up. She thought nothing of it, nor us of her. She is an adult now and still confides in us on every topic you can imagine and a level of trust that parents often say they want. She lives ten hours away and still we talk to each most days.

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