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Most
recent
submissions at the
top.
 "I found
your site through a member site of the Nudism
Web-Ring, and I read some of the articles you have posted and I
agree
100%, especially about "Shaming Children"!
I lived with my grandparents while I was 6 years old. Upon returning
home,
it became painfully obvious that they had instilled a collosal sense of
shame in me; not only regarding my body, but against the positive
social
values I recieved from my parents. Even at the age of 7, I
recognised
that my self-image had suffered, but I could scarcely do anything about
it. By the time I was in high-school I was determined to liberate
myself from the lingering brain-washing concerning nakedness I knew I
still
harboured; and, slowly I was able to undress in a same-sex locker room,
and
later to take a shower in the company of others. It has been an
arduous
journey, but I feel that I have finally voided myself of the last
influences
of the nudity-equals-sex "rules" I reasoned to be irrational two
decades
ago. I'm nearing 30, and I have not only regained the courage and
self-confidence I once had as a 5-year-old, but I have finally
committed
myself to publicly joining the Naturist cause! My wife and I have
become members of the Federation of
Canadian
Naturists. We're looking forward to attending local naturist
events, and raising our children shame-free!"
- TJR, Canada
We have a 16 year old son and 15 year old
daughter. When my son was
13 he began showing a highly increased curiosity about sex and
the
body. My wife and I had previously frequented a nude beach within
2 hours drive of our house and decided that it would be a good idea to
take him there, at least once, to see how he reacted.
We had a family meeting and discussed the
human
body in advance of the
trip. We had ferquently told our kids that the human body was not
dirty, and that God had not made any dirty parts. The
direction
of the conversation led to the question of why did we, as their
parents,
always close our doors while changing clothes and taking showers.
That question impressed me given that it had come from a 13-year-old.
I had no good answers! Than,
all 4
of us agreed that since
the body wasn't "dirty" or "sinful" that we would no longer be ashamed
in front of each other. We also agreed that we would all visit the
beach
together the first Saturday we could. At that point, still at the
kitchen
table, we agreed that we would undress in front of each other, to allow
everyone to get past their uneasiness—we, as parents, were also uneasy
undressing in front of the kids. As expected, my son's eyes kept
wandering to his mother's body. She was a little uncomfortable,
but
after a short while, it felt very normal to us. My daughter's
body
had already begun developing at that time; and, she reacted very
casually
to her brother and myself being nude.
3 years later, both our children have very
healthy attitudes
towards sex and the nude body. My son doesn't feel the need to "sneak"
peeks at nudity in movies, or to "borrow" Playboy or Penthouse
magazines
from kids at school. My daughter still has no problem leaving her door
open to change, or calling me into the bathroom to talk with me while
she
bathes or showers. Both kids have remained virgin and proud of
it!
Not nearly as proud, however, as thier mom and dad are of them!
Since
that time, both children have felt comfortable coming to either
of us with questions about sex.
The nudity part has now become simply
"normal" for
us, and my son doesn't
even take a second glance at his sister or mother when he sees them
unclothed.
My two kids get along great together, and have many friends in common
at
their high school. They are close in age and close at heart.
People
mention how well they get along as opposed to other siblings that
continually
argue and fight with each other. My youngsters have their moments
too, but that is normal.
- Parents, CA.
Originally posted on Child
Naturist Joy 2
 I
think there may be a link between naturism and better school
performance;
but, without proper research it would be impossible to confirm.
We
can only speak for our son Adam. He is shy by nature and
under-performed
in his early years at school. After he began to play naked at
home—possibly
by coincidence—we noticed he was getting better reports from school and
that his overall attitude toward study had improved. Karen
and I discussed this at some length. There were other factors
that
we had to consider, of course; in particular a recent move,
although
this had not involved a change of school for Adam. The most
obvious change in his daily life was that he no longer wore clothes
very
often. Karen and I both felt that his voluntary nakedness
reflected
a sense of security. After all, a child can be most vulnerable
while
naked. We never asked Adam to undress when coming home from
school.
Usually, he just goes up to his room and comes down naked. We
feel
this shows he feels completely safe and comfortable within our home
environment.
Perhaps his sense of security has allowed him to take a more proactive
approach toward school work? I'm not saying this is the answer
for
all underachievers, but I'm convinced naturism has benefited Adam at
school—I'm
still trying to figure out why it has done so.
- Sean & Karen, England
Originally posted on Child
Naturist Joy 2
We have had dozens of kids visit with our
children
to swim naked in
our pool and to play naked in our back yard and go to Wreck Beach
without
any problems. Why?
 1.
We have studied naturism and its benefits; and, we can answer any
question
a parent might have in an authoritative and logical manner.
2. For those who are concerned on Biblical grounds, we can show
Scripturally
that it is not in any way contrary to Scripture.
3. We are totally open about our naturism. We do not keep "our
lifestyle" secret— which would breed mistrust.
4. We are fastidious about not allowing anything sexual or erotic to
have any place in our practice of naturism.
5. We always ensure parents know that they may drop in unannounced
at anytime, while their child is with us, to see what is going on.
6. Our confidence in the value of naturism for children is strong
enough
that it gives children's parents confidence that their kid(s) will
benefit
and not be harmed. [We actually had one neighbor who had boys a
little
older than our children ask us if their boys could come over to
skinny-dip so they could experience it even though they were too old to
really be friends with our kids.]
7. We always talk personally with the parents and answer any questions
they may have.
Over the years, we've had dozens of boys and
girls accompany us in
naturist
activities. Not once have we had any problem with
misunderstanding
or accusations. [Kids whose parents would NOT let them go with
our
kids sometimes made accusations; but, the children who did go naked
were
so adamant that nothing untoward ever took place that nothing ever came
of them. It was totally obvious that the non-naturist kids had no
grounds on which to make their accusations.]
In a nutshell, BE KNOWLEDGEABLE,
BE
TOTALLY OPEN,
and BE CONFIDENT.
- Paul M. Bowman, BC - CAN
Paul's full
name is used
with his approval, Paul
has written excellent books on the subject of nudity as it relates to
children
and the Bible. He is currently working on a large book on
nudism.
“I never felt guilty or embarrassed about my sexual self.
Even when I was going through puberty, my parents handled it
perfectly.
We counted my pubic hairs as they first began and they made a
pride-thing
out of it. I was becoming a woman and we celebrated it
together,
They really made me feel my body was something to respect. I
think
that probably had a lot to do with my not needing sex, and not falling
into a sexual situation, until I thought I was ready at
twenty-four.
I really feel fortunate to have had the experiences I did both in my
family
and in organized nudism”
- Mandy from “Growing up Without Shame”
My daughter is two years old and the only
child on
our block who is
not ‘ashamed’ or curious about another’s body. Hers is a
wholesome
attitude toward her own body and others.”
- Cindy, FL
 “Our son was caught
looking at some pornography, we spoke of our concern about this to a
family
counselor and he said: ‘You’re making a mountain out of a
mole-hill.
Every young boy has normal sex interest and the very fact that he is
trying
to get information this way shows that, as parents, you haven’t
provided
him with sufficient information. Now, if you were members of a
nudist
park this sort of prurient interest wouldn’t even exist!’ We were
astounded by this disclosure, but decided that if a man of his standing
could recommend such an activity, we could visit at least once.
We
had never imagined how natural it could feel; we were over any
embarrassment
in about five minutes, and it completely resolved our boy’s
problem.
The capital 'S' was taken off sex, and became an important part of
life,
but not the most important.”
- Parents in CA
“I feel like I’m on vacation the minute I get to
the club. My
children (boy twelve, and girl, three) are much happier and better
behaved
than they used to be.”
- Mother in WI
“Before we went to the (nudist)
camp our daughter made
social judgments solely on popularity and physical appeal. Out
there
she learned to judge people by their personalities, and other human
qualities.
In time she may have learned that in mainstream society, but the club
has
been a good place for her to gain an education about people.”
- Father in CA
“We go nude around the house all the
time.
It’s inconceivable
to think of being embarrassed about being nude in front of
others.
I think growing up at the (nudist) camp like I did really helped me
overall.
It made me a fuller person.”
- Deborah from “Growing up Without Shame”
“I remember my friends in school, when they
would
get a Playboy®
magazine or the like. They would go crazy. But nakedness
did
not cue my sexual arousal because it was a normal part of my
life.
I think it’s good to be surrounded by nudity and to become interested
as
opposed to preoccupied (that’s a value judgment) with your body and the
bodies of others. It is far more provocative and sexual for a
woman
to be in a tiny bikini than totally nude.”
- David from “Growing up Without Shame”
"I feel my three young girls are forming
healthy
attitudes toward sex.
They are developing a wholesome acceptance of the facts of life because
we are more able to discuss these things in our family. In spite
of our casual ways, we have taught them to respect others’ privacy in
the
home."
- Pam, VA
 “In Germany,
adults changed their children’s clothing on the beach without any
disapproval
by others. When we visited a public beach in the United States
for
the first time, we were very amazed that it was forbidden to change
children’s
clothes on the beach. Even small babies had to run around in
bathing
suits. Because of this, our three year old caught a severe case
of
bronchitis; and, in spite of doctor’s care had a hard time getting rid
of it. One year of nudism brought about a complete cure. We
all got rid of annoying the colds that come from climatic
changes.
Also, we got to know wonderful people and felt accepted into a large
family.
If one says that the nudists corrupted our boys and girls, I can only
say:
‘I have never seen boys and girls of all ages get along so well
together
than in a nudist camp. Here no teenagers lie under a blanket and
kiss each other as can be observed on a public beach.’ We only
hope
that more people in America will accept our point of view.”
- Father in AR
“Nudism offers an environment, as nothing else
does, which is free from
morbid physical curiosity, and one in which children can grow and
mature
with a healthy attitude toward body differences and functions.”
- Father and Minister in TX
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“If
I’ve brought up my children in such a way that seeing humans without
clothes
is going to harm them, I’ll figure that I’ve failed.”