When I told her I was not comfortable with it, she asked me why, and frankly I could not come up with a good reason other than it seemed "wrong," and fear about what would happen in an earthquake or fire. She questioned how it could be wrong if no one knows -- unless they walk into her room without knocking (as I did). She keeps a long robe next to the bed so she can put it on in case of emergency. (Indeed, she walks around the house in that robe, and I thought she had a nightgown underneath when in fact she has been naked underneath since Christmas.)
I am still not comfortable with it, but we agreed to abide by your advice. Is it OK for her to sleep in the nude, and why -- or why not? -- WORRIED MOM IN SAN LEANDRO
DEAR WORRIED MOM: There is nothing inherently wrong with sleeping in the nude. Many people do so because they sleep more comfortably that way. Look at the bright side -- it makes for smaller loads of laundry.
Huh? What's wrong with this letter? Where does the idea come from that sleeping without clothing is somehow wrong? This little letter vividly illustrates a vague philosophy that so many of us seem to have; that being, if we don't do it or think it, it must be wrong, weird or abnormal. People need to remove the blinders they mysteriously acquire somewhere along the road to adulthood and open up to the possibility that perhaps others (their child(ren) included) might have a different opinion or approach to life's situations.
I think the mother who wrote this letter found herself trapped in a corner when her daughter simply countered mom's discovery of her nude sleeping by asking what, exactly, was wrong with doing this. The mother had no answer but it was obviously not her habit to sleep in the nude; therefore, to do so was automatically wrong. Is it any wonder that the clothed community finds naturists and nudists so mysterious and controversial? If such a benign, innocent activity such as sleeping naked can cause such a reaction, it's clear we naturists have our work to educate and inform the world of the pleasantries of a clothing-free lifestyle cut out for us.
By the way, I love Abby's answer. For once she doesn't advise worried mom to take her daughter to counseling to get to the bottom of this seemingly perplexing habit!
Does this make you stop and think?
4 comments:
Everyone in this house sleeps in the nude...except the baby, who still manages to remove her diaper and pee on me at least once a week. The skin to skin contact for a baby is invaluable.
According to Parents magazine website, children under the age of four need to sleep in pajamas that suit the rooms conditions and temp and should not be given any sheets, blankets, or toys that could prove as a strangle threat. Children 4-8 should also be given proper sleepwear to the elements as they will most likley kick off blankets in the night ( as the mother of a 4.5 year old, this is dead on! little kids thrash about in the night and need PJ's) after 8 there are no suggestions listed for sleepwear other than sleepwear should be flame retardent. There the experts have it, after age 8 it is okay to sleep nude...there you go!
I think those guidelines only apply to children who are forced to sleep alone. My kids sleep in bed with me. Four people generate a lot of body heat! The baby is nver cold, in fact, she is too warm sometimes--she sleeps on my chest or under my arm. My ten year old sleeps in panties when her dad is home. She is like sleeping with a little furnace.
As the mother of two teenage girls, 15 & 16, I too was a little uncomfortable about how to handle the nudity issue in our home. My husband and I both sleep in the nude most of the time. It seemed contradicting for us to ask the girls to put something on at bedtime or in the morning or after a shower, when we often went nude. We decided, given the amount of more important issues, such as drugs and alcohol, peer pressure, and the risks of sex, that the girls could make their own decision on this matter. While they both sleep nude and occasionally walk around nude they know when to cover up, especially if there is a guest in the house. Teaching our children how to make good decisions on small matters helps lay the ground work for decision making in larger matters.
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