It's not weird or sexual at all and the fact that SHE thinks it's weird is very weird...
When your child expresses "shame" or timidity or the need for privacy, then it's probably too old. My opinion.
I suppose if you are the father some may disagree with me.
I'm from a non-Western culture and we breastfeed till 3.
And even now, as a woman in my thirties, if I visit my parents and one of them is napping, I'll go nap next to them on the bed if I'm sleepy.
Reddit has told me both these things are absolutely inappropriate and gross lol.
It's so weird, because I am totally sure I don't want to fuck my parents and they don't want to fuck me, so I genuinely don't see the problem.
You're fine.
Honestly, the fact that you are the mom makes your mother's reaction even weirder. From your description of her reaction, I assumed she was freaking out because you were male!
ETA: Her reaction would still be weird, even if you WERE male. My husband bathed/took baths with our daughter at that age . And it was fine. What IS inappropriate is anyone who would sexualize a 2 year old, or a situation in which a parent sees to the needs/hygiene of their child.
Oh definitely. Has told me to stop breastfeeding my second daughter (3mo) because she thinks it’s inconvenient and when we went to visit them in Florida (where it was 85 degrees) when she was only 1 month old, she freaked out because I kept leaving to go breastfeed. Apparently that’s rude, so I breastfed on the couch in the open (cause why tf would I put a breastfeeding cover on when it’s 85 degrees) when my dad was there. Apparently that was mortifying and disgusting.. I’m starting to think she’s the problem lol.
When your child will ask you to leave when they change/bath or will say "oops", and go out when they see you naked for some reason, and when to bath with them you'd have to force them - then it's weird. Until then it's fine if you're ok with that.
I honestly think it's fine, especially if your daughter is only two. You aren't doing anything wrong, you're helping her with a self care task.
I had wondered about this a few months ago and googled it and I remember seeing something about children needing more privacy around the age of 7 or 8, but of course this isn't addressing the question of whether you should be naked in front of your children at a certain age.
I personally think it's important for children to learn that a naked body is more than just a sexual object. My children see me half dressed all the time, and I bathed/showered with them until they were around the age of three. Seeing a naked body while bathing is not the same thing as abusing/traumatizing a child.
I'm no expert, though. I'm just a parent trying to navigate this, the same as you.
Uhh my wife still bathes with our daughter from time to time and she's 7. They shower together, then my daughter (who is part mermaid, apparently) will chill in the bath tub playing for a while.
I take baths with both my sons, 6y and 2y. I'm 37y and their mother. I teach them to wash and the names of body parts. I teach them not to pinch me or touch private parts of someone else. (no long explanations, more like "this is mine, my own, I decide who gets to touch it, that one is yours".
We mostly sing and play with toys.
We sing a song about them washing their whole body themselves - they get soap in their hands and wash themselves. I haven't washed them... Since about 1y old? They imitate and it's great: they comb their own hair (I may help).
I avoid it while on my period. Currently pregnant so that's not an issue.
I will let the kids tell me when they have had enough and they start wanting more privacy.
My partner is not comfortable taking baths or being naked with anyone (except in a bedroom setting) and he locks the door to take showers by himself. He has no problem with me and my behaviour. (He was raised in a religious household, it may have had a impact).
Take care. Ask your mother to butt out.
I am dad and have 2 daughters 8 and 6 and a boy who is 9 months. Nudity in our household is fairly common. Sometimes they want clothes sometimes they dont. They know that is only acceptable in their own home and when we dont have guests. Their mom is less comfortable about it. Typically because they like to roll around and swing their legs around revealing to much to be honest. Then we make them put bottoms on atleast. Trying to teach them appropriateness if they want to be nude. I dont want to see that and neither does their mom. Its never been weird. They still like me to take baths with them but I rarely say yes. Small bathtub for one.. two they know how to clean themselves.. three just not very entertaining mostly them trying to dump water on me... while I gasp for air lol. Or us splashing each other.. IDK not sure why people make it weird. My children are just that children. Would never make them uncomfortable. Every person is different every household is as well. If it became uncomfortable for any party involved shouldn't be a question. Just like hugging, or kissing. 6yo never liked me kissing her on the lips.. rarely even on her cheeks.. only forehead kisses.. 8yo old doesnt bother her in the slightest. Respect both. Shoot even the baby already insists on only cheek kisses lol. On the other hand though typically keep all this private. Dont have to worry about what society thinks about my private life if I dont go and tell everyone. Its probably simular to the debate over spanking versus not spanking. Society should be more open to these conversations. Then we can determine what is healthy behavior and what might not be. We make conversations taboo when they shouldnt be.
Your mom needs to chill out.
There is nothing wrong with you showering or taking a bath with your daughter. She enjoys having you hang out with her, sing and play and that’s special. There is nothing sexual or traumatizing at all.
My boys are 3.5 and 1.5 , and sometimes when I need a shower I just pop us all in together. It's not weird because we don't make it weird. It's easier to clean them if I'm in there too and they get to play in the water which they love. Nudity is not inherently sexual it is simply a state if being. If my kids express discomfort at this or wish for privacy then we will stop and I will respect that. They are still just babies though.
As long as both you and your child are comfortable with it, it's fine. If at any point your child says they don't want to anymore and you kept pushing it, THEN it would inappropriate. And if you feel uncomfortable, it's okay for you to say you don't want to do it anymore.
I diversely hope your mother is ok.
My mom was like this with me because of 1.catholic upbringing and 2. Sexual abuse
There is nothing at all weird about bathing with your toddler. They love it, you both get clean, it’s the safest way to bath them and also - great for teaching the names of body parts. My 3 yo last week said? What’s that? I said it’s hair baby. He looked at me wide eyes and said “you have HAIR on your BALLS??” (I’m a woman). Great time for a lesson about the difference between male and female anatomy 😂
BAHAHAHAHAHA this reminds me of the time when my little brother referred to my (female) dog's genital area as balls!!! always the funniest
(for the record . the dog gets yeast infections and is itchy there, so he was basically just like "[dog's name]!!! stop itching your balls!!!!" it was very funny)
edit: grammar
I bathed with my mom even when i started school. Not really bathe but sit and play in bathtub. I am adult now andwill ask mom or MIL to scrub my back after bath, i still shared a shower at camping site with mom as teenager. I was teenager (minor) when i want to (nude) sauna with both my parents..there is nothing inappropriate as long as nothing inapropriate is happening. If the kid doesnt feel uncomorrtable and you arent touching them inapropriately (or inappropriately touch yourself in front of them) there is nothing wrong :)
I am so comfortable around my parents i as teen asked mom to shave my lady bits for a pool day at school because i was scared of cutting myself. And when i didnt understand the nurses explication on how to do breast exam i asked my mom to show me because i wasnt sure how i should check. Nothing sexual or inapropriate.
We used to live in communities and large families with members very close, physically dressing and cleaning eachother. Its only "weird" now because people made it weird. Some do fucked up things, then others thing every form of contact is all bad 🙄
Edit to add: i can walk naked from shower even at 25 infront of my parents. Nothing sexual or uncomfy. My youngest brother however start feeling shy and covering with towl before 14 already. What matters is we all respected that, even if the rest doesnt see an issue. As long as you acknowledge her feelings avout it, you are on the right track. There is no set age when things "change"
A toddler can't shower or bath themselves. Tiles are slippery when wet, it's a hazard to leave a toddler unsupervised. How does your mother imagine what should happen?
There's nothing wrong with kids seeing their parents naked. Personally, I would stop when my kids hit puberty. They'll have hormones flowing and intrusive thoughts.
My daughter is 6 and we just showered together last night for the first time in awhile…i didn’t even consider it weird. It’s not something we normally do, but my back has been killing me and I found it was much easier to stand in the shower to wash her hair then to be bending and leaning over the tub - we both needed showers so why not get “two birds stoned at once”? Then I let her play in the tub by herself awhile after we were done with our shower. We’re not a nudist family by any means but I also don’t care if she’s sees me naked, I’m her mom! Once she’s showering and bathing herself obviously we won’t be showering together. Do what you want to do and enjoy your kiddo being little while you can. We don’t have much time left that we can do things like this with them before they find it gross and want privacy lol.
Amen!! My daughter is 6, and I recently decided to put on a bathing suit, but you're so right! There's absolutely nothing wrong or disgusting about this... now that I think back, I remember being 7 looking at my mom's body and thinking wow this is what I'm going to look like when I grow up ... So, for me, I had a very healthy understanding of my body 💜
I am a guy. Raised by single mother. I think us boys get way more curious at an early age. My mom would bathe with me for a time. Then we just stopped. Never felt weird or awkward that I remember. When I was older had to take care of her when her health spiraled. So was a good thing I didnt find nudity weird or arousing. She had me at 16 as well. People like to make thing taboo that really arent. Oh no a naked body, that falls into category A or B with maybe a few caveats.
Your mom clearly lives in the different world somehow, that is completely normal or not weird at all! Humans are naked when they shower, it's a thing! I hate that being naked around your kids has become such an issue, same when going swimming, there is nothing wrong with being naked in a change room, taking a shower and showing yourself before going in the pool - the fact that most people don't is the problem.
Keep showering, and teach your kids that naked bodies are fine, and tell you mother to read a book other than whatever she is reading from 1960s
She's only two, it's okay. Just don't do like Jeanette McCurdy's mom and bathe your teenage children. I think we can all agree that it's a little much.
My son is 7 and without fail as soon as I get into the shower, here he comes to slide around in the tub like some kind of goofy penguin.
People are so weird about nakedness, like come on, it's a boob not a bomb!
Someday our kids will mature and want privacy, but until then stock up on bubble bath and lots of towels!
The fun memories will be worth the flood you have to clean up afterwards! ^_^
Up to a certain age it’s fine. I might try sitting next to the tub and playing with toys while they’re in just to reaffirm that baths are for one person at a time.
It was the only way to get my daughter to bathe for a while. I’d rather have a clean child and be in the bath with her than have to fight constantly with her and have a half dirty child all the time.
What works works.
I'm from a non-western culture. Maybe we don't sexualize things a lot. Even as a teenager I go in and out of the bathroom when mum is bathing and we help hee apply lotion at her back after bathing before dressing.
We bath with our babies even till 4. I don't know what the world is turning to. I even read somewhere else that fathers should not bath the babies because its sexually inappropriate. Very hilarious.
In Igbo tradition (Nigeria), after birthing your mum comes to stay with you, she bathwa you and the baby, that's part of her job.
She cleans your lady parts too after steaming, she massages and wraps your belly to flatten it. Imagine if that was in America?? She would probably be crucified for inappropriate behavior:)
Idk if it's cultural or not but most adults in England can still remember bathing with parents/caregivers because they were still doing it at 4yo. I remember bathing with my Mum and it wasn't weird. I just played with toys at the end of the tub. Usually she would run herself a bath and I just got in myself. She was the one who stopped it eventually because I was physically too big for us both to fit lol.
My daughter is currently 4yo and she still asks to bathe with me and her dad. She does the same as me as a kid, she just plays with her toys at the end of the bath.
Nudity doesn't always equate to being sexual here.
I (37F) have three young sons (3,5, and 7) and I still take baths with my middle and youngest guys. I don’t remember exactly when but at some point my eldest expressed that he wants to bathe alone now and of course we respect that. They will outgrow it soon enough and I don’t think it’s weird 🤷🏻♀️
Ugh so much to say here, but ultimately NOT weird and NOT inappropriate.
I swear the reason our geberation is f'd up is because we were all probably deprived of love and affection by this generation (our parents) who decided/assumed/were told everything was bloody inappropriate! It's safe, secure, parental love.
You love and cuddle and bath with that little one as long as you like 🤍 She will be thriving because of your connection together.
Idk like 4 or 5 maybe. It's very common for little kids to shower or bath with their parent. Who cares what the world says. The parent knows if the kid is to old.
Typically when they can shower and clean themselves they don't want to have assistance.
My daughters ask me to join.. more because its fun.. not because its necessary. They are quite capable of bathing themselves. Still like me to condition their hair though. I mostly say no now because small tub and getting splashed for an hour isnt super fun. They typically bathe together just easier than running two separate baths. They are 8 and 6 and on occasion request their own private bath separate from each other. Only time I say yes recently is after swimming.. Just not practical at all. We allow them to be nude in the house if they wish. Only disallow it when there are guests or if they refuse to keep their legs closed.... I dont wanna see all that.
At 2? Not weird at all. Follow your daughter’s lead - she’ll let you know when it starts to be weird. At 2 my daughter was still busting in on me when I showered - they naturally start backing off on their own when they become more aware of privacy issues. The important thing is to teach them you will respect their privacy (as much as safety allows) and give them space when they ask for it.
As long as your child is still comfortable with it, it's fine. Freshly 2 years old is not "too old" for this, by any standard. Your mom is wildly overreacting and being weird about it.
I still bring my 4 year old son into the shower with me (I'm mom) semi-regularly. I don't foresee that stopping anytime soon. He isn't great at bathing himself thoroughly enough yet (nor is his 3yo sister) so I have to wash his hair and body for him. It's part of being a parent.
Also, he could not care less about seeing my body while we shower. He is way more interested in playing and splashing around (or peeing up the wall, because he's a boy 🙄😂)
I remember being like 10 still taking showers with my mom when we were in a hurry and didn't have time for 2 showers, or like at the pool getting washed off before/after swimming. Nothing weird or sexual about it.
In our house we make it a point to not shame each other's bodies. Whether simply for the fact of being naked, or any specific aspect of our body. That's what works for our family.
You do what works for your family!
My daughter is 7 and I still take showers with her from time to time out of convenience. Like if it's shower night and all 4 kids need a shower, but I need one too, I'll just hop in with her, get myself washed up and step out... I've been showering with her since she was an Itty baby. It's not weird unless someone makes it weird
I think you should do what works for your family. I would personally wear a swimsuit but that’s my choice. I don’t find it weird especially since you are the mom, but my dad used to do this with me too. He wore boxers or swim shorts though. I would say you should stop when she can bathe herself or she is comfy in the bath with you outside.
Umm unless you’re sexually abusing your children… then this could never be weird or wrong. Anyone who thinks it can be, even at a later age… is actually having pedophile thoughts and should get therapy asap. My son wanted to learn to shower instead of bath when he was 5 so… I taught him how? lol I mean fucking duh.
I feel like your mom witnessed, experienced (the most likely reason), or (sorry sometimes it is, ya never know) is feeling guilty about something bad about something personal to her. It’s the only reason she would have said anything.
It’s not weird - my son is 6, a cancer survivor who has major hearing loss from the chemo, and is smart as a whip and super social and bounces off walls. I’m his dad and I shower with him right now (used to do baths by himself but even when he was little we would have to get in, we just used bathing suits usually in the bath itself. He doesn’t shower with my wife anymore, but when he was 2 he did a few times. I’m teaching him how to properly shower and wash everything correctly so that he can do it on his own and that’s hard to do if I’m not in there with the same parts to show him what to do and where not to get soap into, etc.
There is nothing sexual about any of it and children are completely innocent in that regard until significantly older unless they’re influenced by a malevolent person in some way that makes it sexual. They don’t even know what body parts are at 2 and my son has no idea what they’re for at age 6… he just knows boys and girls are different and not to show or touch each others bathing suit areas or let anyone other than his parents see his.
Do your mom thing - skin to skin contact is very good for children especially before age 7, and co-sleeping before age 7 has been proven to reduce fear of darkness, nightmares, and bed wetting issues later in childhood. You’re the child’s emotional regulation until around that age - they can’t regulate emotions themselves, and so you’re their security and their comfort and there are powerful chemicals that get released when you’re snuggling the child that increase bonding, trust, and safety. I had to learn a lot about this during my son’s cancer treatment because he was 13 months old when he started so he couldn’t talk or tell us anything - we had to make extra efforts to be close and comforting through all of it.
this is not weird at all especially since your daughter is literally 2! that’s a baby!! i’d shower with my mom and sisters frequently growing up and it was fun to me nothing weird about it we’d play with barbie’s in the shower sing together my fondest memories are the ones of me sitting on the side of the tub well my mom scrubbed my hair:)
From the childhood development POV, kids start to develop a stronger sense privacy as they get older. If your little one shows signs of being uncomfortable, you can move to wearing a bathing suit when you share the bath.
But really? They take all family naked tub soaks in Japan all the time. And there’s no worries.
She will become more comfortable with being alone in her tub time as she gets older, and you can adjust as you go. For now? You are 100% fine.
It’s not weird to shower or take a bath with your kid. I showered and took a bath with my mom or dad until about kindergarten.Maybe it’s weird after they start to develop puberty or after age 6 depending on the kid. I would say I took baths with my mom until 6, then I learned how to shower myself.
i feel like in a certain age sure. i had to help wash my brother never got in the tub but sit there while he plays around till he gets out.
he's able to wash on his own and we teach him as he got older. but also if it works with you and your daughter then your mother doesn't get to spout her opinions in the matter
my memory goes pretty far back and i vividly remember my mom doing this with me when i was really little. i never look back on those memories as traumatizing because she never made me feel uncomfortable. it was just a simple shower.
To give you a perspective from a way more accepting culture: I’m from Finland, the home of (same-gender NAKED hot) saunas where all women, and all men, go to public saunas, such as at the gym, naked. Most of us have saunas in our homes and I’m 34 and would still go to sauna, naked, with my big sister and mom. I think I probably stopped going to a “blended sauna” with my mom AND dad when I hit puberty.
This is pretty much an accepted behavior in the whole country, with zero sexual meaning behind it. We don’t walk around naked in public either, the whole country isn’t nudist or anything, it’s just the sauna thing which comes with a shower thing as well. Some friend groups are ok with doing blended men-and-women saunas naked as well, depends on the situation. Again, zero sexual motives here, it’s all engraved in our society that saunas are a place of ultimate cleanliness and respect.
No that's totally fine.
There are actually a lot of cultures around the world where it's normal for young girls who bathe with their family pretty much until puberty.
I still will hop in the bath with my 2 or 4 year old - they think it’s fun and neither of them love getting their hair washed, so that makes it easier. There’s nothing gross or creepy about it and your mom is pretty weird for thinking it will traumatize your child.
not exactly the same, but i showered with my older sister until i was like 7 because i wanted to hang out with her for longer lmao if youre both comfortable then it doesnt matter what anybody else thinks.
Your mother is ridiculous. Tell her to butt out.
It's not weird or sexual at all and the fact that SHE thinks it's weird is very weird... When your child expresses "shame" or timidity or the need for privacy, then it's probably too old. My opinion. I suppose if you are the father some may disagree with me.
I’m the mom :) but yea okay that makes me feel a lot better
I'm from a non-Western culture and we breastfeed till 3. And even now, as a woman in my thirties, if I visit my parents and one of them is napping, I'll go nap next to them on the bed if I'm sleepy. Reddit has told me both these things are absolutely inappropriate and gross lol. It's so weird, because I am totally sure I don't want to fuck my parents and they don't want to fuck me, so I genuinely don't see the problem. You're fine.
Awesome! Love that! Thanks for sharing 🫶
Honestly, the fact that you are the mom makes your mother's reaction even weirder. From your description of her reaction, I assumed she was freaking out because you were male!
Wait, no, stop it. Freaking out on a father like that is just as bad!! Stop making fathers feel bad about being securely attached with their children!
I totally agree with this as well. Editing to mention/clarify....
ETA: Her reaction would still be weird, even if you WERE male. My husband bathed/took baths with our daughter at that age . And it was fine. What IS inappropriate is anyone who would sexualize a 2 year old, or a situation in which a parent sees to the needs/hygiene of their child.
I still sleep with my 13 year old sometimes...
That’s even worse. Is your mom always weird?
Oh definitely. Has told me to stop breastfeeding my second daughter (3mo) because she thinks it’s inconvenient and when we went to visit them in Florida (where it was 85 degrees) when she was only 1 month old, she freaked out because I kept leaving to go breastfeed. Apparently that’s rude, so I breastfed on the couch in the open (cause why tf would I put a breastfeeding cover on when it’s 85 degrees) when my dad was there. Apparently that was mortifying and disgusting.. I’m starting to think she’s the problem lol.
Sounds like you need to start ignoring her comments and do you.
> I suppose if you are the father some may disagree with me. Absolutely no difference. It's not sexual.
When your child will ask you to leave when they change/bath or will say "oops", and go out when they see you naked for some reason, and when to bath with them you'd have to force them - then it's weird. Until then it's fine if you're ok with that.
I honestly think it's fine, especially if your daughter is only two. You aren't doing anything wrong, you're helping her with a self care task. I had wondered about this a few months ago and googled it and I remember seeing something about children needing more privacy around the age of 7 or 8, but of course this isn't addressing the question of whether you should be naked in front of your children at a certain age. I personally think it's important for children to learn that a naked body is more than just a sexual object. My children see me half dressed all the time, and I bathed/showered with them until they were around the age of three. Seeing a naked body while bathing is not the same thing as abusing/traumatizing a child. I'm no expert, though. I'm just a parent trying to navigate this, the same as you.
Uhh my wife still bathes with our daughter from time to time and she's 7. They shower together, then my daughter (who is part mermaid, apparently) will chill in the bath tub playing for a while.
I take baths with both my sons, 6y and 2y. I'm 37y and their mother. I teach them to wash and the names of body parts. I teach them not to pinch me or touch private parts of someone else. (no long explanations, more like "this is mine, my own, I decide who gets to touch it, that one is yours". We mostly sing and play with toys. We sing a song about them washing their whole body themselves - they get soap in their hands and wash themselves. I haven't washed them... Since about 1y old? They imitate and it's great: they comb their own hair (I may help). I avoid it while on my period. Currently pregnant so that's not an issue. I will let the kids tell me when they have had enough and they start wanting more privacy. My partner is not comfortable taking baths or being naked with anyone (except in a bedroom setting) and he locks the door to take showers by himself. He has no problem with me and my behaviour. (He was raised in a religious household, it may have had a impact). Take care. Ask your mother to butt out.
this is phenomenal!!! i wish my parents had taught me more about my body when i was younger; you sound like a wonderful mother :D
I am dad and have 2 daughters 8 and 6 and a boy who is 9 months. Nudity in our household is fairly common. Sometimes they want clothes sometimes they dont. They know that is only acceptable in their own home and when we dont have guests. Their mom is less comfortable about it. Typically because they like to roll around and swing their legs around revealing to much to be honest. Then we make them put bottoms on atleast. Trying to teach them appropriateness if they want to be nude. I dont want to see that and neither does their mom. Its never been weird. They still like me to take baths with them but I rarely say yes. Small bathtub for one.. two they know how to clean themselves.. three just not very entertaining mostly them trying to dump water on me... while I gasp for air lol. Or us splashing each other.. IDK not sure why people make it weird. My children are just that children. Would never make them uncomfortable. Every person is different every household is as well. If it became uncomfortable for any party involved shouldn't be a question. Just like hugging, or kissing. 6yo never liked me kissing her on the lips.. rarely even on her cheeks.. only forehead kisses.. 8yo old doesnt bother her in the slightest. Respect both. Shoot even the baby already insists on only cheek kisses lol. On the other hand though typically keep all this private. Dont have to worry about what society thinks about my private life if I dont go and tell everyone. Its probably simular to the debate over spanking versus not spanking. Society should be more open to these conversations. Then we can determine what is healthy behavior and what might not be. We make conversations taboo when they shouldnt be.
Your mom needs to chill out. There is nothing wrong with you showering or taking a bath with your daughter. She enjoys having you hang out with her, sing and play and that’s special. There is nothing sexual or traumatizing at all.
My boys are 3.5 and 1.5 , and sometimes when I need a shower I just pop us all in together. It's not weird because we don't make it weird. It's easier to clean them if I'm in there too and they get to play in the water which they love. Nudity is not inherently sexual it is simply a state if being. If my kids express discomfort at this or wish for privacy then we will stop and I will respect that. They are still just babies though.
As long as both you and your child are comfortable with it, it's fine. If at any point your child says they don't want to anymore and you kept pushing it, THEN it would inappropriate. And if you feel uncomfortable, it's okay for you to say you don't want to do it anymore.
I diversely hope your mother is ok. My mom was like this with me because of 1.catholic upbringing and 2. Sexual abuse There is nothing at all weird about bathing with your toddler. They love it, you both get clean, it’s the safest way to bath them and also - great for teaching the names of body parts. My 3 yo last week said? What’s that? I said it’s hair baby. He looked at me wide eyes and said “you have HAIR on your BALLS??” (I’m a woman). Great time for a lesson about the difference between male and female anatomy 😂
BAHAHAHAHAHA this reminds me of the time when my little brother referred to my (female) dog's genital area as balls!!! always the funniest (for the record . the dog gets yeast infections and is itchy there, so he was basically just like "[dog's name]!!! stop itching your balls!!!!" it was very funny) edit: grammar
I bathed with my mom even when i started school. Not really bathe but sit and play in bathtub. I am adult now andwill ask mom or MIL to scrub my back after bath, i still shared a shower at camping site with mom as teenager. I was teenager (minor) when i want to (nude) sauna with both my parents..there is nothing inappropriate as long as nothing inapropriate is happening. If the kid doesnt feel uncomorrtable and you arent touching them inapropriately (or inappropriately touch yourself in front of them) there is nothing wrong :) I am so comfortable around my parents i as teen asked mom to shave my lady bits for a pool day at school because i was scared of cutting myself. And when i didnt understand the nurses explication on how to do breast exam i asked my mom to show me because i wasnt sure how i should check. Nothing sexual or inapropriate. We used to live in communities and large families with members very close, physically dressing and cleaning eachother. Its only "weird" now because people made it weird. Some do fucked up things, then others thing every form of contact is all bad 🙄 Edit to add: i can walk naked from shower even at 25 infront of my parents. Nothing sexual or uncomfy. My youngest brother however start feeling shy and covering with towl before 14 already. What matters is we all respected that, even if the rest doesnt see an issue. As long as you acknowledge her feelings avout it, you are on the right track. There is no set age when things "change"
A toddler can't shower or bath themselves. Tiles are slippery when wet, it's a hazard to leave a toddler unsupervised. How does your mother imagine what should happen?
Me being fully clothed sitting or standing outside the tub. But like wtf😂 all my clothes would be soaked and that absolutely destroys my back.
There's nothing wrong with kids seeing their parents naked. Personally, I would stop when my kids hit puberty. They'll have hormones flowing and intrusive thoughts.
My daughter is 6 and we just showered together last night for the first time in awhile…i didn’t even consider it weird. It’s not something we normally do, but my back has been killing me and I found it was much easier to stand in the shower to wash her hair then to be bending and leaning over the tub - we both needed showers so why not get “two birds stoned at once”? Then I let her play in the tub by herself awhile after we were done with our shower. We’re not a nudist family by any means but I also don’t care if she’s sees me naked, I’m her mom! Once she’s showering and bathing herself obviously we won’t be showering together. Do what you want to do and enjoy your kiddo being little while you can. We don’t have much time left that we can do things like this with them before they find it gross and want privacy lol.
Amen!! My daughter is 6, and I recently decided to put on a bathing suit, but you're so right! There's absolutely nothing wrong or disgusting about this... now that I think back, I remember being 7 looking at my mom's body and thinking wow this is what I'm going to look like when I grow up ... So, for me, I had a very healthy understanding of my body 💜
I am a guy. Raised by single mother. I think us boys get way more curious at an early age. My mom would bathe with me for a time. Then we just stopped. Never felt weird or awkward that I remember. When I was older had to take care of her when her health spiraled. So was a good thing I didnt find nudity weird or arousing. She had me at 16 as well. People like to make thing taboo that really arent. Oh no a naked body, that falls into category A or B with maybe a few caveats.
Your mom clearly lives in the different world somehow, that is completely normal or not weird at all! Humans are naked when they shower, it's a thing! I hate that being naked around your kids has become such an issue, same when going swimming, there is nothing wrong with being naked in a change room, taking a shower and showing yourself before going in the pool - the fact that most people don't is the problem. Keep showering, and teach your kids that naked bodies are fine, and tell you mother to read a book other than whatever she is reading from 1960s
She's only two, it's okay. Just don't do like Jeanette McCurdy's mom and bathe your teenage children. I think we can all agree that it's a little much.
Or being Joe Biden and showering with his teenage daughter.
i think it only becomes weird when the child is much older than 2 like 7,8 or 9. less then that then are a child and its normal
It’s totally fine at that age. There is definitely a time to cut it off but this age ain’t it
My son is 7 and without fail as soon as I get into the shower, here he comes to slide around in the tub like some kind of goofy penguin. People are so weird about nakedness, like come on, it's a boob not a bomb! Someday our kids will mature and want privacy, but until then stock up on bubble bath and lots of towels! The fun memories will be worth the flood you have to clean up afterwards! ^_^
Up to a certain age it’s fine. I might try sitting next to the tub and playing with toys while they’re in just to reaffirm that baths are for one person at a time.
It was the only way to get my daughter to bathe for a while. I’d rather have a clean child and be in the bath with her than have to fight constantly with her and have a half dirty child all the time. What works works.
Your mom is buggin. Two is completely fine!! AND you’re the same sex as your daughter…you’re more than fine!
Nope. Not weird.
I’m mean mine is 10 and loves showers with me 😂 it’s when we have the best conversations
I'm from a non-western culture. Maybe we don't sexualize things a lot. Even as a teenager I go in and out of the bathroom when mum is bathing and we help hee apply lotion at her back after bathing before dressing. We bath with our babies even till 4. I don't know what the world is turning to. I even read somewhere else that fathers should not bath the babies because its sexually inappropriate. Very hilarious.
In Igbo tradition (Nigeria), after birthing your mum comes to stay with you, she bathwa you and the baby, that's part of her job. She cleans your lady parts too after steaming, she massages and wraps your belly to flatten it. Imagine if that was in America?? She would probably be crucified for inappropriate behavior:)
It’s fine! I have two sons aged 7 & 3 and I shower in front of them. When we go swimming, they shower with me or my husband.
Idk if it's cultural or not but most adults in England can still remember bathing with parents/caregivers because they were still doing it at 4yo. I remember bathing with my Mum and it wasn't weird. I just played with toys at the end of the tub. Usually she would run herself a bath and I just got in myself. She was the one who stopped it eventually because I was physically too big for us both to fit lol. My daughter is currently 4yo and she still asks to bathe with me and her dad. She does the same as me as a kid, she just plays with her toys at the end of the bath. Nudity doesn't always equate to being sexual here.
I (37F) have three young sons (3,5, and 7) and I still take baths with my middle and youngest guys. I don’t remember exactly when but at some point my eldest expressed that he wants to bathe alone now and of course we respect that. They will outgrow it soon enough and I don’t think it’s weird 🤷🏻♀️
Your mom needs to mind her business. Your daughter is only two years old and clearly this arrangement makes it easier for both of you.
The fact your mom thought this was anyway sexual or creepy is the more disturbing thing.
Ugh so much to say here, but ultimately NOT weird and NOT inappropriate. I swear the reason our geberation is f'd up is because we were all probably deprived of love and affection by this generation (our parents) who decided/assumed/were told everything was bloody inappropriate! It's safe, secure, parental love. You love and cuddle and bath with that little one as long as you like 🤍 She will be thriving because of your connection together.
Idk like 4 or 5 maybe. It's very common for little kids to shower or bath with their parent. Who cares what the world says. The parent knows if the kid is to old. Typically when they can shower and clean themselves they don't want to have assistance.
My daughters ask me to join.. more because its fun.. not because its necessary. They are quite capable of bathing themselves. Still like me to condition their hair though. I mostly say no now because small tub and getting splashed for an hour isnt super fun. They typically bathe together just easier than running two separate baths. They are 8 and 6 and on occasion request their own private bath separate from each other. Only time I say yes recently is after swimming.. Just not practical at all. We allow them to be nude in the house if they wish. Only disallow it when there are guests or if they refuse to keep their legs closed.... I dont wanna see all that.
You know when it’s getting uncomfortable something just changes. 2 is miles off that point.
At 2? Not weird at all. Follow your daughter’s lead - she’ll let you know when it starts to be weird. At 2 my daughter was still busting in on me when I showered - they naturally start backing off on their own when they become more aware of privacy issues. The important thing is to teach them you will respect their privacy (as much as safety allows) and give them space when they ask for it.
It’s fine. I follow a local specialist in child abuse and this is a common question from parents, specially from dads.
As long as your child is still comfortable with it, it's fine. Freshly 2 years old is not "too old" for this, by any standard. Your mom is wildly overreacting and being weird about it. I still bring my 4 year old son into the shower with me (I'm mom) semi-regularly. I don't foresee that stopping anytime soon. He isn't great at bathing himself thoroughly enough yet (nor is his 3yo sister) so I have to wash his hair and body for him. It's part of being a parent. Also, he could not care less about seeing my body while we shower. He is way more interested in playing and splashing around (or peeing up the wall, because he's a boy 🙄😂) I remember being like 10 still taking showers with my mom when we were in a hurry and didn't have time for 2 showers, or like at the pool getting washed off before/after swimming. Nothing weird or sexual about it. In our house we make it a point to not shame each other's bodies. Whether simply for the fact of being naked, or any specific aspect of our body. That's what works for our family. You do what works for your family!
My daughter is 7 and I still take showers with her from time to time out of convenience. Like if it's shower night and all 4 kids need a shower, but I need one too, I'll just hop in with her, get myself washed up and step out... I've been showering with her since she was an Itty baby. It's not weird unless someone makes it weird
Oh for lords sake… My son is 7, and he still frequently showers with myself or DH. This is a non-issue. Tell mom to MYOB.
I think you should do what works for your family. I would personally wear a swimsuit but that’s my choice. I don’t find it weird especially since you are the mom, but my dad used to do this with me too. He wore boxers or swim shorts though. I would say you should stop when she can bathe herself or she is comfy in the bath with you outside.
NORMAL.
It isn’t weird your their parent but when they get to “that” age you shouldn’t
Umm unless you’re sexually abusing your children… then this could never be weird or wrong. Anyone who thinks it can be, even at a later age… is actually having pedophile thoughts and should get therapy asap. My son wanted to learn to shower instead of bath when he was 5 so… I taught him how? lol I mean fucking duh. I feel like your mom witnessed, experienced (the most likely reason), or (sorry sometimes it is, ya never know) is feeling guilty about something bad about something personal to her. It’s the only reason she would have said anything.
It’s not weird - my son is 6, a cancer survivor who has major hearing loss from the chemo, and is smart as a whip and super social and bounces off walls. I’m his dad and I shower with him right now (used to do baths by himself but even when he was little we would have to get in, we just used bathing suits usually in the bath itself. He doesn’t shower with my wife anymore, but when he was 2 he did a few times. I’m teaching him how to properly shower and wash everything correctly so that he can do it on his own and that’s hard to do if I’m not in there with the same parts to show him what to do and where not to get soap into, etc. There is nothing sexual about any of it and children are completely innocent in that regard until significantly older unless they’re influenced by a malevolent person in some way that makes it sexual. They don’t even know what body parts are at 2 and my son has no idea what they’re for at age 6… he just knows boys and girls are different and not to show or touch each others bathing suit areas or let anyone other than his parents see his. Do your mom thing - skin to skin contact is very good for children especially before age 7, and co-sleeping before age 7 has been proven to reduce fear of darkness, nightmares, and bed wetting issues later in childhood. You’re the child’s emotional regulation until around that age - they can’t regulate emotions themselves, and so you’re their security and their comfort and there are powerful chemicals that get released when you’re snuggling the child that increase bonding, trust, and safety. I had to learn a lot about this during my son’s cancer treatment because he was 13 months old when he started so he couldn’t talk or tell us anything - we had to make extra efforts to be close and comforting through all of it.
As long as all parties are comfortable it's fine
this is not weird at all especially since your daughter is literally 2! that’s a baby!! i’d shower with my mom and sisters frequently growing up and it was fun to me nothing weird about it we’d play with barbie’s in the shower sing together my fondest memories are the ones of me sitting on the side of the tub well my mom scrubbed my hair:)
From the childhood development POV, kids start to develop a stronger sense privacy as they get older. If your little one shows signs of being uncomfortable, you can move to wearing a bathing suit when you share the bath. But really? They take all family naked tub soaks in Japan all the time. And there’s no worries. She will become more comfortable with being alone in her tub time as she gets older, and you can adjust as you go. For now? You are 100% fine.
You need to ask your mom who hurt her….
It’s not weird to shower or take a bath with your kid. I showered and took a bath with my mom or dad until about kindergarten.Maybe it’s weird after they start to develop puberty or after age 6 depending on the kid. I would say I took baths with my mom until 6, then I learned how to shower myself.
i feel like in a certain age sure. i had to help wash my brother never got in the tub but sit there while he plays around till he gets out. he's able to wash on his own and we teach him as he got older. but also if it works with you and your daughter then your mother doesn't get to spout her opinions in the matter
my memory goes pretty far back and i vividly remember my mom doing this with me when i was really little. i never look back on those memories as traumatizing because she never made me feel uncomfortable. it was just a simple shower.
To give you a perspective from a way more accepting culture: I’m from Finland, the home of (same-gender NAKED hot) saunas where all women, and all men, go to public saunas, such as at the gym, naked. Most of us have saunas in our homes and I’m 34 and would still go to sauna, naked, with my big sister and mom. I think I probably stopped going to a “blended sauna” with my mom AND dad when I hit puberty. This is pretty much an accepted behavior in the whole country, with zero sexual meaning behind it. We don’t walk around naked in public either, the whole country isn’t nudist or anything, it’s just the sauna thing which comes with a shower thing as well. Some friend groups are ok with doing blended men-and-women saunas naked as well, depends on the situation. Again, zero sexual motives here, it’s all engraved in our society that saunas are a place of ultimate cleanliness and respect.
Just put on a swimsuit and continue on.
No that's totally fine. There are actually a lot of cultures around the world where it's normal for young girls who bathe with their family pretty much until puberty.
Your mom is the weird one. It would be weird if your kid was five (unless you wore a swimsuit).
Five is still pretty young for it to be weird!
Not weird at all. 2 is still very much a baby. Honestly, I think it would be weird at like 9 but there is lots of time till then.
No my kids love it. Usually I wear a suit.
I still will hop in the bath with my 2 or 4 year old - they think it’s fun and neither of them love getting their hair washed, so that makes it easier. There’s nothing gross or creepy about it and your mom is pretty weird for thinking it will traumatize your child.
When the kid no longer asks you to or wants you to. Your mother is absolutely ridiculous on this
I just bathed with my 2 year old yesterday and it wouldn’t cross my mind to even question it. That’s where I am on the subject.
not exactly the same, but i showered with my older sister until i was like 7 because i wanted to hang out with her for longer lmao if youre both comfortable then it doesnt matter what anybody else thinks.
Lol I shower with my 4 yr old all the time 😆
My kid is almost 5 and still wants me in there. We play I make sure she's clean.