For those of you who’ve been following us for a while, you’ll remember Rachel’s original post on this subject. She questioned “how old is too old” for a son to accompany his mother in a public ladies’ room. The whole “how old is too old” question created quite a conversation when we first ran it on a different website/blog. So we thought it would be fun to approach this subject again from a different angle. Today’s question is “How old is too old for your children to see you naked?”
My kids are ages four and nearly seven (boy and girl, respectively), and it’s just in recent months I find myself hiding in the closet or bathroom to change my clothes. I used to never worry about them seeing me so much. But now all the questions have started coming out, as well as the giggles and the random names for body parts. It seems my “booties” are hilarious – so they are no longer making any appearances 😉
I’ve heard you should stop letting your child see you naked (no matter the gender) way before they turn two. My husband and I followed this “rule” with my daughter. Not that we felt like we had to (she was not showing any signs of realization), but we just felt it was weird otherwise. I don’t know why we weren’t so strict with our “rule” around me. Maybe it’s a mom thing. Plus, I never really worried about it because it’s never been an issue, until recently.
What about you? When did you stop changing in front of your kids? What prompted the change? And if you haven’t gotten to this stage yet with your kids, what do you think is the right age?
While we’re at it, let us know “how old is too old” to do other things – see our list below. Let’s have fun with this, but remember everyone is entitled to his/her opinions and let’s respect that. Looking forward to your comments!
How Old is Too Old To…
Bathe with a sibling of the opposite sex?
Go in a public bathroom with Mom if you’re a boy?
Need help getting dressed?
Watch Barney?
Breastfeed?
Be rocked to sleep?
Wear longalls and shortalls?
Wear smocked clothes?
Use a pacifier?
Suck a thumb?
Use a sippee cup?
Be walked into their classroom by mom or dad?
Ride in a stroller?
Have their parents cut up their food?
Trick or treat?
Still take a bath instead of a shower?
Still be wearing diapers?
Still be wearing pull-ups?
Play with dolls?
Still believe in Santa, the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy, and all those wonderful things?
