Physical Freedom
By Rexanne Mancini

What's been on my mind for the past week is the way some parents and grandparents feel about their little ones (toddlers and younger) being naked anywhere other than the bathtub or the privacy of their bedrooms. 

The other day, I was swimming at our condominium's pool with my younger daughter. A very dear neighbor had her grandchildren at the pool, too. Yes, our respective kids had a great time together but what bothered me was my neighbor's attitude about her 2 year old grandson's insistence on being naked. This little sweetie was having the time of his life running in the warm sun, naked and free while his father and grandmother were frantically chasing his little bare butt around the pool, trying desperately to cover his nakedness. 

It was all I could do not to holler: "Leave him alone ... he's feeling free and so good about himself!" I did, finally, have the opportunity to toss my two cents in when my neighbor asked if I thought any of our other neighbors would be "angry" that he was uncovered. Oh, what relief to spill my mind! LOL! I told her absolutely not ... who in their right heart would begrudge a baby feeling so liberated and happy? Well, she got the point but her son, the toddler's daddy, insisted on chasing after the poor child with a towel, his diaper or any other cover-up he could fathom.  

I envisioned the grown man this baby was to become, having trauma lurking in the recesses of his mature mind over this attitude. He will most likely feel ashamed of his nakedness, of his natural state, if you will. Geesh ... sad. 

Babies are born free. Toddlers have not been programmed with shame or guilt yet. It is society and parents who plant these seeds in innocent minds, thus creating uptight individuals. I am NOT advocating a clothing optional society, please don't misunderstand me. I am just trying to protect the innocence and healthy freedom of the very young. 

If an individual takes offense at the naked body of a two year old, it is their sorry problem, NOT the child's. If we must cover up our child's nakedness to preserve the "rights" of others who might object, so be it. But by allowing our kids the sense of healthy openness and freedom to feel the sun on their bare butts, we help to create healthy attitudes about their bodies and their imminent sexuality. (This is another rant ... I'll save it for next week's newsletter! LOL!) 

There are so many restrictions in society as it is. Our kids should be allowed as much physical freedom as possible. By age 5 or 6, they will begin to assume a more universal attitude toward their nakedness and not demand liberation from garments so much, if at all. Allow them those few, unrestricted years to run free, to feel nature on their skin and to rejoice in their precious little bodies. 

Copyright - 2000-2004 - Rexanne Mancini

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Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty. She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com – http://www.rexanne.com -Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne’s Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html

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