Are you a Home-Nudist?

Oddly enough, everywhere I look there have been discussions about whether or not to be naked in front of your kids. My guess is that this stems from anti-bullying discussions, preaching self-love, and of course, we first have to change how we teach our children how to react to and cope with these every day issues.

 My son is almost 2 and even at this young age I know he has noticed that my body is different from his own. He sometimes pokes my bottom or pinches my breast because he's noticed that there are different parts of me other than the arms that hold him or the voice that soothes him. Now is the time to teach boundaries. Not because it's wrong to touch, touch is a sensory, but because he's at an age when observation is learning and learning is about as involuntary as blinking. So I try to purposely teach him through my actions. Especially self-esteem. I want him to know that it's okay to cry, to be upset. Okay to be confused or angry and it's okay to have a body different from my own.

 We don't hide our bodies from Mikah. There will be days when we just won't get dressed at all and even don't put a diaper on Mikah. Which is a good thing for all of us. (Allows our skin to breathe and helps with his potty learning.) I had a hard time loving myself and my body for years. I still do every now and then because I'm overweight. Still, my guys love me for me and that's all that matters. Even though I had hard pregnancies with Ein and Mikah, it still created two beautiful babies. How can I not have appreciation for that?

 Growing up, I knew what my father's body looked like. He wasn't perverted about it and after a certain age he covered up more, but there was no body shaming in our home. It was a part of every day life and it made home feel comfortable and safe. A refuge from the growing social demands of the outside world. Maybe my views about my body really stem from my cultural beliefs. Growing up we embraced, as much as we could, our Native American heritage. Our community did camps and summer programs for native youth that allowed us to learn about our ancestors and their beliefs. To pass on traditions and almost forgotten knowledge. The natives did not find revulsion in their bodies, only mystery and connections with a Creator and the rest of the world. Why can't we go back to embracing ourselves?

 We plan on not being intentional about our naked bodies, but at least mindful when it comes to Mikah so that we leave him with a positive, non-perverted memory and a positive self-image. How do you plan on encouraging positive self-images? Do you have a different point of view than my own? Do you have the same goal but a different path? Please be respectful.