Is bathing with ya kids abnormal?

Well, in countries like Germany, they're not very Puritanical about the body, and they know the difference between being naked and having sex. Even still, they don't think that sex is something dirty and wrong that you're supposed to hide. Public nudity is common there, and even if one were to walk around nude in broad daylight, it's very unlikely that a person would call the police.However, people in a place like America would view bathing with your children as child molestation, and would aim to put you in prison and take your family away from you.

At any rate, it's not really appropriate to be naked with your daughter as she's becoming older, and bathing with her as she goes through puberty is completely out of the question in my opinion.

IT'S good that you can teach them about nudity, and that there is no problem with the naked body. SOCIETY now a days, become very prude about the human body. I'm not telling you to be arround with her NAKED all the time, but KNOWING there is nothing wrong with that, TO ME is something positive. the bathing issue. OK, she should be able to take baths alone, at least to learn HOW to, but again, it's not incorrect or ashaming to take baths with your children. JUST have in attention the sone she will be a teenager [for girls it starts more or less at age 8|9] and will no longer feel at ease bathing with her father.

ABOUT your son: HELL yeh! bath with him... do the same as you did with your doughter, but always have in mind the changing body and sexual discovery that happens at teenagehood! :D

AND no, once again, there is NOTHING wrong with bathing, showering with your sons, IT a great way to connect emotionaly with them!

Personally I don't see anything wrong with bathing with your kids, up until a certain age of course..and I think that is something for you and your wife to decide.

In my opinion growing up in a family where nudity is taboo is more damaging to a child than growing up in a family where nudity is no big deal.

This way your kids will learn that being naked is nothing to be ashamed of and will probably grow up a lot better adjusted.

Congratulations on your becoming a father for the second time!

i think most kids naturally draw the line around nakedness when they hit a certain age.
as long as you allow them privacy, as long as you're not proactively inflicting nudity upon them then it's healthy.
they hit a certain age, usually when they become aware of puberty, sex etc, and they decide for themselves that they no longer want nudity and parents to mix.
but i think that the time they spend growing up, learning that naked bodies aren't something to be ashamed of, will prepare them better for life...they'll feel more relaxed with future partners perhaps. they might feel less up tight about showering after sports or undressing for the doc.

I SHOWERD WITH MY DAD AND OLDER BROTHER from birth till I was ten. My brother is 3 years older than me. I am gay my brother is very straight. I don't think it had anything to do with it. I did see my parents both of them naked while I was young.

If you can see something sexual about being naked around your kids, your abnormal!

Firstly, I'd like to voice my admiration for this forum as being a place that inspires brilliant open-minded debate and discussion on topics which nowhere else really deals with.

Secondly, I think you're ok to bathe with your kids bigboy_steve up to a certain age. To ease the transition, why don't you and your wife let your daughter know that its a reward for being well behaved that she'll get to sit in the bath all by herself from now on? That way its done in a positive, rewarding way and shouldn't feel like anythings being taken from her.

I also agree with whoever said you should replace the activity with something else with her. This is just my opinion, and it should be noted that while I work with kids, I don't have any of my own.

Finally, congratulations on the baby and thank you for letting us have this excellent discussion.

Interesting thread resurrection...

There have been several responses in this thread, stating which parent should or should not participate in parenting (Mr. Snakey, I'm curious why you think it's OK for mom, but not for pop; I think I know the answer, but I'm curious...) and what age is appropriate.

I think a lot of that depends on the child's language and comprehension skills development. Bathing with one's child can be a bonding experience, but more importantly, it should be a learning experience. "Show me how you wash your arms... that's good! Now your ears..." This is also a good opportunity to teach them what other body parts are called. Penis isn't a naughty word, it's a part of the body. And it needs to be cleaned.

When they start with questions about differences, that's when you give them the factual information they need, but also start extracting yourself from the process. "You know how to bathe yourself now, I'll come back in 5 minutes to see what a good job you've done."

This is one of those times when common sense, rather than puritanical shame, would seem to be in order.

that's my reaction.

My son is three and he still climbs in the tub with me regularly. He loves taking baths, and he loves playing in the water and playing with me. It's a nice bonding time. Usually after I'm done bathing, he'll still be in the bath while i do my hair and get dressed. He's mostly oblivious to nudity probably because no one has ever told him or taught him that it's inappropriate. It's not a big deal because we don't make it a big deal.

Children learn by example or so it seems to me. If we treat our bodies as if they are shameful, disgusting things never to see the light of day, children will learn that and live it. If we define appropriate and inappropriate nudity they learn that instead. It is acceptable to be nude in the locker room, that bathroom or the nude beach but nudity at a ball should probably be reserved for severe civil disobedience.

IMHO

I think it's a comfort level thing. There may come a time when your daughter won't want to bathe with you anymore, and that should be her choice...chances are the closer she gets to puberty. I'm a twin and we always took a bath together as young children, We showered with our step father at the Country Club in communal showers as children and up until we left home. We never wore bathing suits in our swimming pool. We grew up not to be ashamed of nudity.

and that's it really.
children are born without hang ups.
parents can choose whether or not to give them some.

It wasn't a problem for you, your parents, wife and child. Don't mind your brother, do as you usually do. His children will be body phobic, unlike yours.