Family nudity....what do you think?

Back when I was a practicing psychologist, I sometimes heard about "family nudity" being an issue.  Some moms and dads freely were nude in front of their kids.  Others felt their kids should never see them naked. 

The conflicts occured when one parent was comfortable being nude in front of the kids while the other was not.  This scenario often became the source of great marital strife. 

Also, parent's gender was a factor in the issue.  Mom was okay being nude in front of daughters, but not sons.  Then another mother was okay being nude in front of sons which bothered the husband.  Or, the father was nude in front of daughters which bothered the mother, etc.

Now, our family is not "nudist" in any way.  Everyone bathes and changes behind closed doors.  Our nanny came from a French culture and we had to tone her down a bit about nudity, but she accepted that fine.

So.....what is your family's attitude toward nudity?  Has it caused in conflicts or problems?

My family...men in shorts/ boxers, women in shorts, sportsbra, tanktop
everyone is comfortable with this

Same here, i grew up being always dressed appropriately around family, and that went on with my own daughter. When she was little before the age of the sexual and gender curiosity, we did take showers and there were times she was around while dressing, but i do think alot of parents experience this, such as little sisters showering together, big familys with small children.. up til that age when we start to become our individual.

No nudity around the house and around her father, both he and i would have felt uncomfortable around her. I beleive the site does entice the mind and it can't be helped to think in a sexual way, you have no idea what the person is thinking, even it being the father, mother, sister or brother.

Yes we could have the feeling, you seen one you seen the all.. but not for me, i too would want to have that special feeling and thank goodness i did, and nudity around the house was spared.. otherwise moments being shared between two would never feel good, i wouldn't feel like his special bidness was any of mine, if he/she is thinking about or sharing it prancing around the living room

I don't bebop around naked in front of my son, but I try not to make a big deal out of it. I don't want him to feel insecure with himself. My daughter is 10, but she is physically and developmentally delayed and she still enjoys the occasional bath with me. We cuddle naked in the warm water and she seems to enjoy physical contact where she might shun from it otherwise. It is one of the most enjoyable times to be with her. On a different note, I still have to change her pullups, but I try to do it in private, she deserves to have the same respect as others.

nonononono!  I once followed my dad to the bathroom during a commercial break, and saw a site that was not that pretty to me.  He had left the door open and got really mad.  I was just curious, I guess,  not trying to see something but wondering I guess what I wasn't seeing. 

When my son was small he had the uncanny knack of walking in while I was changing a shirt.  I think my reaction was worse than any other "feeling" he might have gotten.  I told this story to an old highschool friend (male) once and he said they didn't have that problem at his house-they practiced nudity and everyone was fine with it.  I was a bit surprised but tried to hide the uncomfortable thoughts in my head.

My mom was in her eighties when she died.  I had never seen her naked but had to help her get dressed one time.  Though her face was old and wrinkly, the rest of her was actually very nice looking.  She had very nice breasts, nice for someone much younger,even!  I was surprised and I wish I had the chance to tell her how beautiful she was.

I once was acquainted with a divorced man with two young sons.  I'm not sure what the nudity factor was at home, but if the boys found a naked Barbie doll, they would comment that she was "nude".  Nude isn't a word I expected from 5-7 yr old boys or girls.  But their dad was heavy into porn and I'm sure they knew all about what adult males and females looked like in many different positions.  That was just gross...

In my professional opinion, there is some chance of emotional harm with an over indulgence of family nudity.  For example, if a 12-13 year old son often gets an erection while viewing his nude mother, this can very well cause issues later for him. 

Also, if teenage girls are nude infront of dad, this can also create problems on an emotional/ sexual develpmental level, too.

I always advised parents that bathing with the "2 year old is fine."  But, privacy is to be desired in general. 

My 3 year old couldn't care less who's naked, going potty, where they are, she doesn't really understand the privacy factor yet.  We don't make a big deal of it either, when she walks in we just act normal but I have started saying 'mommy is getting dressed sis go play i'll be right there'.  Of course this is so I can have a second of quiet   My husband is a nudie more than myself, he doesn't mind at all if the kids come and chat with him while he's taking a shower.  My 5 year old son is much more private and has stopped coming in during showers/changing etc.  He did it on his own, not something we enforced.  So I guess you could say we are not nudists, but if the kids happen to see us getting dressed we don't make a big deal out of it at all.  I have seen some families who have a weekly 'naked hot tub night' where everyone jumps in nude and they chat etc.  I'm talking teens too.  They can do what they want, but I find that to be over the top weird.