Should parents ever appear naked in front of their children, knowingly

A lot of things happen in different homes and different parents have different views on privacy.

There are some who won’t wear clothes that are considered indecent in front of their children and relatives. You’ll never catch them kissing their spouse on the lips in the public, leave alone in front of their children, within the boundaries of their home.

And then there are surprises here and there.

Sometimes you just find yourself naked in front of your children by accident. May be you are busy dressing but forgets to lock your bedroom door. Your child pushes the door, not knowing that dad or mom is in there naked…and what do they see?

Their parent, without any clothes.

It might be a little embarrassing as you rush to cover certain parts of your body with your hands or pick a piece of clothing, may be a towel, to cover your body. Your child may rush outside closing the door behind them, giggling on their way out.

Some just freeze when they see you like they have never seen you before. At that particular moment it is not easy to know what is going on in their minds, especially if that is the first time they see a naked adult – and take note of the many differences between the bodies of adults and children.

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But what happens when there are no accidents, when a parent knowingly gets in the presence of their child naked? Think of a parent sharing a tub with their five year old. Think of a parent walking in front of their child naked, looking for something to wear.

It may seem harmless.

Actually some people would argue that there is nothing wrong with it. Some would even go to the extent of coming up with excuses that would make you shake your head in disbelief.

This is where modesty comes in. This is where parents need to make sure that they avoid situations like these.

Your naked body may fill your child’s head with lots of questions. This is not such a big problem, one may argue, but what really matters is whether you, as a parent, can take the necessary steps to make sure that all those questions in your child’s head get the right answers.

This is not always the case, and as a result, children are often pushed to seek answers if parents cannot provide them. This is further an easy option for a child because most parents don’t really know how (or don’t like) to talk about the human anatomy and sex with their children.

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It could be because they think their children are still very young to be taught (understand) such things. It could be because they are still waiting for the right moment. It could be because they think their child is uncomfortable hearing daddy or mummy talk about the human body, and so they wait.

What can you take from all these?

Everybody in your family should realize that they have a duty to respect the privacy of other members… but it starts with respecting one’s own privacy.

Let every member of your family know this. It is not like I am condemning being naked. It has it is place, and if that place is the right place then there is nothing to feel ashamed of.

The right places I know of are: in the presence of your spouse – when you two are alone, and in the hospital when you have to go for checkup that requires you and your garments to part for a moment.

You may be caught without any clothes on by accident. And there are always some things that go on in your mind when you finally put something on and face the child that caught you…There may be a brief moment of mildly intense feeling of shame especially if the child that caught you was one of the opposite sex. If this has ever happened to you (or if it happens), find a way to start educating your children about ‘our bodies’.

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Fill them with the right info before someone pumps a ton of garbage in their young minds. It will be a little bit uncomfortable but the more the child and parent realize that such discussion equips the young one with tools that can help them make the foundation of their lives strong, the easier it will become to talk through the discomfort…to comfort.

The human memory can be a strong one. Your naked picture may sit in your child’s mind for a very long time. So make sure that that picture is surrounded with good things – the right info concerning different parts of the human body and much more.

And try your best not to be caught naked again. Now smile and share the post if you liked it.

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