A Child’s Nature

[Danee]

Reposted from: http://justbarewithus.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/a-childs-nature-old-post-new-blog/


I, being a somewhat decent mother, love my children with all of my heart and soul. I want them to love themselves, and to not have to depend on other’s opinions of them to shape who they are, or who they could be. I want them to make up their own minds, be their own persons and to be comfortable in their own skins.

I committed myself to giving them every tool I had in my belonging to help them grow up to be independent, confident and proud. That is what any parent should be willing to do for their child, or children. Right? Then why is it we teach our children to be ashamed of their natural bodies, and that it is proper to be fully clothed, and to never allow someone to see them naked? Now, my children are 2 years 6 months old, and thirteen months old. A lot of people tell me that I have plenty of time to work on their self-worth, that they are babies and it doesn’t really rank as vital right now. Um, excuse me?

The way my children view themselves at any age is very important to me. I’m that annoying parent that says, “No baby, you’re not stupid. You just need time and practice. We don’t say stupid in this house. It’s mean.” Yep, I have informed my still-in-diapers children that hurting other people’s feelings will not be tolerated. Shame on me. When I got together with my husband, we had different ideas of parenting, and we had some points we were the same on. Nude children in the household were not one of those. “But why is it wrong,” He would ask me. “I don’t know! It just is!”

I lost the argument, and he began to educate me. Children who are raised where nudity is accepted in daily life have higher self-esteem, and lower teen pregnancy rates. Once you take the mystery away behind the zipper, what is the point of tugging on it? The more we spoke, the more I honestly came to realize, Hey, he’s right! Of course, don’t tell him that. I would never live it down.

It wasn’t hard for our son, at eight months old he had already shown a love of being nude, or in his diaper if he couldn’t get away with it. He took to the new experiment well, and wore a diaper and shoes, his obsession, most of the time. When our daughter was born, she got a lot of diaper time, or skin-to-skin time with Mama. She wore a diaper for that with my husband, because she always took the opportunity to pee on him. Now, all this time later, they both love being naked. It’s our potty-training technique, and it worked wonders for our son, who is almost there. Our little girl gets a little bit of time everyday, but not much as she isn’t training. She giggles like a madwoman whenever I take her diaper off, even to just change it.

We haven’t ran into a problem of being overly interested in private parts other than their own, and my son’s concern I don’t have a penis. It was a swift explanation on the difference, and a firm direction that you only touch yourself there in your room, when you are alone.
No issues.

My children look at a nude person, and see nothing out of the ordinary. They see us hug and kiss, never anything more, and they don’t seem to see a difference between that and when we are clothed and out and about. The second we walk in the door, my son is begging us to take his clothes off. He really enjoys being naked, and to me, that’s the most important thing. I firmly believe this is helping them grow and be more confident in their appearances, even at this age.

I hated being nude growing up. I hated people seeing my body. I never wore bathing suits, even one pieces, without something over them. Preferably a top and shorts. I went to the beach for the first time the other day in just a swimsuit, and barely even registered it in my mind. I can sit on my couch with my husband and not wonder if he is counting the stretch marks I managed to earn during both pregnancies. I can go out on a date with him, or to the store, or to the family get togethers, and not worry if I look too fat or if too much skin is showing. I started buying clothes that -gasp- actually fit me, and show off some of my assets.

I suffered as a child, from middle school on up, from terrible low self-esteem. If kids at school weren’t making comments (and looking back I can see a lot of them I misconstrued from my own imagination), my siblings were. My parents would, of course, drone that I wasn’t fat, but maybe I should watch what I eat a little more. Then that stopped, and it was constantly, cover up more, you can’t wear that tank-top, your boobs are out. Wow, thanks guys. It isn’t my fault I have a larger chest, and you buy my clothes so… yeah.

A friend told my husband, “You better not be walking around naked in your house.” First off, it’s his house and he pays the bills. Literally. I’m a stay-at-home mother and wife. Secondly, it’s my house, and the only other say that matters is mine. She wasn’t raised in a way to accept someone enjoying being naked in a non-sexual or outside-the-shower sort of way. Actually, she wasn’t allowed to wear clothes that showed off her curves, and for years, despite being a size 4, was buying sizes 8 and 10. Sex was a sin, and there should be no enjoyment in being nude, naked, or any which form of those.

I don’t want my children to go through that. I don’t want every time they dress out in the locker room to be a source of embarrassment or self-loathing. I don’t want them to skip lunch and sit in the library, or not eat because they can’t stand having people watch them. I want them to always hold their heads up high and be secure in who they are, and what they look like. I want them to look past the different shapes and sizes, see the person within, and appreciate the outside as a piece of art and beauty, as God intended us to.
Shame is an emotion taught to children, and it is not an emotion I ever want my babies to look at themselves in the mirror for, especially not for something as minor as their physical appearance.

I think my children in their most natural forms are beautiful, and I don’t appreciate the sexualization of something so innocent, pure and wholesome. That is exactly what it is: sexualizing what a child sees as a natural, normal and fun thing in their life. I’m not exposing them to rapists, and so far, we haven’t had an opportunity to take them anywhere to experience what a naturist’s life is like, such as a resort or campground. Of course, due to their age and lack of bodily function control, they will be in diapers.

 But I can guarantee neither of them will look and point at a human being that is nude as a freak, because they understand. It’s fun to be nakey, they like it and to them it isn’t weird.

Children are the future. Why do you want to make that future self-conscious and afraid to awknowledge their God-given beauty?

[pepsinude]

 I hope my future children will be able to grow up this way and with my future wife. I have a a few years to think about a wife or even to think about having children but this is how i want it to be.

[Gman707]

Excellent article. 

[INnudeguy]

I hope my future children will be able to grow up this way and with my future wife. I have a a few years to think about a wife or even to think about having children but this is how i want it to be.

   although its to soon to do it it's not to soon to think about what you want your life to be and what your looking for in a Partner. 

[Amadeus]

 

Awesome story. This is the future. Thank you so much Danee for finding this.