What about a true “nudist” family? One that practices more than occasional nudity around the home. One that actually makes it a point to visit nude beaches and clubs on its vacation itinerary. Do such families exist and, if so, how do things work out for them?
As it so happens, some members of the Bare Platypus team ARE parents to a nudist family with four “puggles,” who have grown into healthy well-adjusted adults and young adults. In this blog post we interview them to get answers to some of those questions that others have.
Q. When did you decide to raise a family of
nudists?
A. For us the
decision first came as a young married couple before we had kids. We began visiting nudist parks about one year
into our marriage and never wore clothes around home much. When our oldest daughter came along, we
simply continued in what was then our family’s way of life. That continued with a second daughter and two
sons!
Q. Did your kids ever embarrass you by being
naked at an inappropriate time?
A. We’ve been asked
that question before and the answer is, “no.”
Not once. From an early age our
children grasped the concept of context easily.
They understood that we put on dressier clothes to go to church, that we
got dressed to go outside for shopping, etc.
Appropriate nudity comes down to time and place. If you have kids who understand when they can
go about in their underwear and when they shouldn’t, they will grasp when it’s
okay to be au naturel.
Q. So there were no humorous episodes…
A. We didn’t say
that! One time we had the luxury of
moving into a community only about 5 minutes from a well-known nudist resort
that we started visiting almost every weekend after the move. We also started looking for a church in the
community and going to one that proved a good fit. One particularly sultry day at church our
second daughter (about 3 years old) blurted out “It’s HOT. Can we go to _[nudist place]_
afterwards?” We got smiles from some
people who knew what that was, but little else.
Q. What about when friends and relatives came to
visit?
A. When it came to
other people's kids, we exercised an abundance of caution. We were always fully dressed in their
presence. If friends or cousins came
over with their parents and our kids wanted to swim in their birthday suits, we
would ask said parents if that would be okay.
We paid close attention to body language and non-verbal cues. If it was okay, our kids went bare. Sometimes our visitors would follow “suit.” Always
with their parents’ permission and direct
supervision.
Q. Were those parents usually okay with it?
A. Often they were
okay. In a few cases it led to
conversations where their whole family visited a nudist park with us sometimes.
Q. Now that your kids
have grown, how do you think they’ve turned out?
A. We joke to each
other that we can’t believe how ultra-normal and ultra-responsible all four
have become. They’re wiser with money
than we were at their age, for example.
And they do not seem to suffer from the materialism that many youth
do. They certainly don’t judge people by
the clothes they wear. But they also
place less importance on things. Q. Did your “puggles” ever go through the “I don’t want to be naked” phase?
A. Not ours. As parents we made a conscious decision that we would never force the issue of nudity. Maybe our relaxed “they make the decision about clothes” attitude helped avoid any backlash. Or maybe our apples don’t fall far from the tree.
Q. Now that they’re
grown, are they still nudists?
A. Yes. Our oldest
daughter took her boyfriend from college to visit the local nudist club. (Editor’s note: a report of their trip can be
read by clicking here: A College Student's First-Time Experience. )
Q. There are reports
about some nudist clubs being off limits to families with
kids. What are your thoughts on that subject?
A. First, we’ll say
that there were times when the two of us enjoyed getaways to nudist clubs or
bed & breakfasts without the kids.
We took a couple of nude cruises while the kids stayed with grandparents
too. For us, the issue of whether kids are allowed---or welcomed---at some nudist clubs is less significant than rhetoric being raised about whether kids belong in any nudist club. On that subject we vehemently believe that our kids enjoyed our family’s bare outings and that they enhanced our family experience. We always had our kids in direct line of sight supervision too for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was water safety.
One thing that bothers us is the mentioning of family nudism less and less. We are NOT suggesting that there should be kids in every club or 8 x 10 pics of little ones splashed across websites. We do think they could take more steps to let families know they’re welcome… maybe with a tasteful cartoon graphic or something to make the point.
As for clubs, it’s hard to feel welcome as a family if the
other guests glare at you when you enter the pool area. For those clubs who prefer a quiet
adult-retirement feel, just say so in your brochures and online. We’ll know where to avoid bringing the grandkids when
they come along in the future.
Q. That’s a lot of
info for now. Can we visit you with
questions at a later time?
A. Sure. We think nudism added a positive
dimension to our family, along with our Christian faith and keeping close ties to
grandparents. We’re always happy to talk
about the subject.
01/12/13 Update: College nudists attend family birthday party celebration in birthday suits.
[Updated Regularly]
Bare Platypus now offers products with Platypus artwork at the Bare Platypus Souvenir Shop . You can get a tote bag or a coffee mug, a t-shirt, or all three! Plus there's more to come.
These designs are one-of-a-kinds that you won't find elsewhere. Tasteful enough that you can show or serve them to all guests, but unusual enough (and always bare) that they can help you get a conversation going.
You're invited to visit!
I wish my fameley was like that
ReplyDelete