Naturism and children
Always a worthwhile discussion, it seems. True naturists and nudists know that the naked lifestyle goes well with kids. Kids love being naked, and they continue to love it until the “grown-ups” tell them it’s a bad thing and they should stop it. Putting on the dreaded clothing parts is the normal way to go. Yes, it’s normal (since that is the norm, carried by most people).
We know that the norm isn’t always the smartest thing to follow.
I am NOT an expert on children, but…
Trust me. I am not. I do remember what it’s like to be a child (because a) I think I have a good memory and b) I refuse to grow up).
Also I have second hand experience with the daughters of my sister. They liked to run around naked as long as they could.
However, even when I’m not a child expert, I know that children and naturism mix well. When I visit our local nude beach I see kids running around and having a blast. They play, swim and just have a great time without feeling any pressure to cover up or ‘be decent’.
The naked swimming child
Have you ever witnessed a naked swimming child? They are free as a bird (as far as birds swim, that is) and they seem to know this is the right way to be. And look at yourself. Have you ever skinny-dipped? Swam naked? How did that feel, the first time after some time in the ridiculous bathing suit? Would you go back to swimming wearing a piece of cloth if you had the opportunity to skip it?
We are born naked for a reason
And that reason is nature. Nature doesn’t make clothes, it makes living beings. We invented clothes to stay warm when things get cold. Children understand that just as well as we do and they will act accordingly when they feel like it, not because they know that clothes are the best thing since McDonalds. Oh, wait, maybe they do think that – but I digress.
I for one am glad that ‘our’ children (you know what I mean here, otherwise ask me about it in a comment) have the luck to grow up free and as naked as possible. It shapes them, in their way they perceive not only their own body but also how they see others. They know that nearly no one has a perfect body. They know that naked people aren’t out to rape them.
And I know they will grow up like people with a much healthier mind and view on life than most textile-based lifeforms have.
Thank you, Samuel Langhorne Clemens!
As always, a very insightful perspective on naturism. Children bring innocence and unconditional love and joy until adults put restrictions on them and there by taking away their freedom. Children are our teachers.
Fabien
Thank you for your kind comment, Fabien.
I agree. Children make such a big difference for those who let them do that.
“We invented clothes to stay warm when things get cold.” Or did the rulers of long ago use clothing as one way to restrict our freedoms, set rules, to reminded us who were the rulers?
Thanks, Paul, for a good, thoughtful post.
One of my best memories, my first day naked at a clothing optional beach in Spain, was seeing a completely nude, completely comfortable family. Mom was helping the kids make sandcastles, Dad was taking pictures of the family. No-one was worried about anything (except, perhaps, the mortgage…). Later that day, I concluded ‘if I can walk naked along the beach, I can conquer the world! What a boost to my self-confidence. How lucky those kids will be in later life!
BTW, I take medication that says on the bottle ‘keep away from children’. Usually, I do.
Thank you for this wonderful account of what you saw in Spain. 🙂
Good luck keeping away from kids!!
Paul, since my “liker” button refuses to work today, I’m writing a comment to say I “like” this article.
I remember in one of my literature classes the instructor bringing some poems written by first and second graders. They were masterful. The were free of pretense and order.
Then she read some poems from third and fourth graders and you notice the influence of the outside world on their innocence.
By the time she got to the high schoolers’ poems you can see the structure and sense of the poems was labored and heavy with double meanings and over emotional.
We need to stay children as long as we can.
I ramble.
Sorry.
P.S. So what do you mean by “our”?
Hi Carl-Mario,
With “I for one am glad that ‘our’ children” I mean the children of nudist/naturist parents, who aren’t subjected to the narrow-minded, must-be-dressed-all-the-time view of their family.
Thank you for rambling, I enjoyed reading it. Isn’t it amazing how rapidly children change? I refuse to grow up. Being an adult is a trap…
When I was very young and my mother took me to the beach she undressed me, patted my bottom and told me to ‘Go and play’. For me, being naked was completely natural and I never thought anything about it. Then, when I was eight, she decided I was too old to be seen naked and insisted that I wore swimming trunks. To this day I remember how much I hated them!
How sad a thing to remember, Negasman. She didn’t know better – it’s a sign of the times and generations, but she took something important from you. I hope you managed to retrieve it later.
Oh yes, I did. At the age of fourteen my father took me to an official nude beach and my eyes were opened.