Is bathing with ya kids abnormal?

bigboy_steve

Hey... people probably read my thread bout my baby son on his way.... im still ecstatic! :)

But this thread is completely different.

Early on I was chatting to my brother about my kids and the subject of nudity and bathing came in to it. Well my brother had a strong opinion on this and said it was (PERVEY) to bathe with your kids and being nude around them. Even though me and him used to live in a nude environment as children with our dad. Now it hasnt scarred me or him as far as I know in any way so why come out with something like that?

I bathed with my little girl. Shes 4 and me or my wife still bathe with her from time to time. Now I know we cant do it forever nor do I want to do it forever. Its something that parents to to bond and relax with their kids. My brother also added that I should not bathe with my son when he is born.... why not? I honestly dont see what is so awful about this.

Many men and women do this with their children. I know there are a selected few on this site that see this as disgusting and immoral. And also there are a few that see nothing wrong with it. But now I dont know what I should do.

Do I carry on bathing with my kid +another when he arrives or is it that bad? What do you think????

badboybryce

You should stop bathing with your daughter ASAP!!! She is four years old and she should be able to sit alone (w/ supervision) and bathe herself. Kids are way to intelligent these days. They are born solving mathematical equations. She no longer needs to see a grown man's dick.

I do think that YOUR bathing with your son is not harmful, but what is the point? Your bathing him shows your bondness. He doesn't have to see you nude. Don't do it.

Congrats to you, your wife, and your little girl!

bigboy_steve

............ i dont actually know wot to say to that. haha

aliveboi

I remember taking baths with my mother and showers with my father. I was also the youngest of several kids and had to share a bath with my sisters on occasion. It seems to me to be something perfectly normal for families to do.

Monster

I say go for it but, maybe you could talk to their pediatrician about this, I see nothing wrong with nudity in front of your own children. I'm sure there is a cut off point to it and someone with more experience than me will have to answer that, BTW, I dont have kids yet but, I was a kid and remember many a bath with my mom and dad even outdoor nude showers with my grandpa on hunting/camping trips, go with your heart and instinct!

Congrats on the son to be!

bigboy_steve

Cheers m8 :) much appreciated

rob_just_rob

I don't think it's an issue when your children are very young. There is a cutoff point, of course, where the child can bathe him/herself and will start to want privacy. Opinions vary as to what that point is, although it's probably after age 4, and it sure as hell better be before age 12.

kadtxgrl

I think you ought to go with your heart..... and do what you think is right..... people are always going to have opinions on what they think is right or wrong. It really isn't anyone's business what goes on in your home as long as you are not abusing your children.

I don't know what the social customs are where you live. I had always heard that in Europe ya'll are more laid back about nudity than we are here in the US......But I wouldn't go telling anyone that you take baths with your children...... or that your family all sleep in the same bed or anything like that. There are just people that have their minds made up that that is wrong. And if you go around telling people...... it can get your children taken out of your home for an investigation into child abuse here in the US.

I am a nudist and I don't think it is wrong for parents to see their children nude ever. But that is my opinion and I don't share it with my neighbors across the street. Do what you feel is right in your heart. There is nothing wrong with wearing clothes and living your life modestly. Do what you feel comfortable with.

Hippie Hollow girl.

Monster

I love hippie hollow!

southwest

I used to bath with my father when I was young, no issues here. I think that kids prior to puberty only see a body, I know that's how I remember it. As I grew I became conscious of my body and then that was when I would not stand nude in front of anyone, used to hate sports at school because of the communal shower thing. I think one must be aware of the nudity issue, but also not be too paranoid.

By the power of 4 rep points I command thee to obey my commands!!!

hyperionic

Being open about yourself.. being nude around your kids.. showing them it's okay to be yourself and at ease with your body or whatever is okay. If nothing else it will teach them not to make a fuss about being nude. Like southwest said.. don't be paranoid. Just be yourself... and maybe your kids will grow up to be themselves to.. without worrying what people want them to be.

Not_Punny

I say go with your heart.

The girl is the only one I'd be worried about -- at some point it isn't going to be appropriate anymore.

But if you DO decide to stop bathing with her, replace the activity with something else, or she'll take it badly. Kids LOVE to be able to do things with their parents and cherish the attention -- even when they're gawd awful teens!

Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine. (anonymous)

Rodeo1177

Steve: In posing the question you have, it is predicable that you will receive one of two primary responses, i.e. those who say yes and those who say no. And based on what you wrote, you are making decisions as a result of family pressure, i.e. your mother and brother telling you not to engage in such conduct. This of course is causing you to feel a great deal of uncertainty especially because you and your Brother grew up in the very environment that your Brother and Mother are now saying is wrong, for whatever reason. So, its' only natural for you to have self-doubt and second guess the decisions you want to make. But remember, you are not raising a family for the sake of your Mother and Brother, but for the sake of you and your wife and that is what matters the most.

In the U.S. we are a very arrogant and condradicting society - On one hand we condem anyone who is a nudist or naturalist on the presumption that they are "immoral" - while on the other hand building a billion dollar pornographic empire by the number of smut movies that are bought and rented every year.

Ultimately Steve, whatever the decision is, it has to be based on what you and your wife believe is and is not right for the kind of family environment the two of you want to create. It does not sound like you have bad motives but rather merely believe that nudity is a natural part of life. And forwhatever its' worth, maybe if more kids were raised in a nudist environment we would have a far more tolerant society in accepting people for who and what they are rather than on our preconceived notions of what they should be. Hence, nudity can be physologically and physicallly enriching because it creates opportunities for people to grow as a human being and achieving stronger levels of self-esteem and acceptance of others.

Just my two cents worth....

RickJamesBish

I don't see anything necessarily wrong with it, I'm pretty sure I bathed with my mom when I was little (up til around age 5) and I don't see any harm in it. But then again, I think it's more of a european thing and might not be as normal here.

umnc30

very interesting thread i must say, i may have bathed with my parents when younger but i don't remember, so if it happened it must have been before i was 3 or 4... i don't see any problem arising some being nude around a kid who is your same gender, but as far as a different gender i'd have to agree with Badboybryce that kids are extra smart these days, they pick up on things adults normally would ignore, and then repeat it to their friends... its something to be aware of...if i had a little girl, i wouldn't want here remembering that she took baths with me as a child, and wondering if that's why she turned out the way she did ... i don't have kids but not fully adult yet, and during this time in my life i'm questioning what my parents did when i was young, and how it made me who i am ...

just something to think of