A couple of weeks ago Anya and I went shopping to buy a birthday gift for one of her friends.  Near our local shops, we have a large no-car square surrounded by shops with an outdoor play fountain in the middle that the kids adore.  I often see kids turning up in their swimsuits and playing in the fountain till they are drenched.  Playing outside with water is such a fun thing to do for kids and Anya loves it too.  On this day we visited the fountain and I saw at least three kids, aged between 2 and 6 years, playing without any clothes on at all.  I was quite bit taken aback.

I have no problem with kids taking their clothes off as kids, especially the littlest ones,  like to do that and there is absolutely no harm in a private garden or similar private space.  But in a public place in full view of thousands of people, I just didn’t think this was a good idea and I know I would not be comfortable letting Anya do it.  Also age is a factor here –  I mean five or six is just a bit too old to do something like this under any circumstances in public.  Obviously I’m also thinking about the darker side of life where we do live alongside a very small minority of people who may not have good intentions – you know what I mean.  So why put our kids in what could be a vulnerable position?  That’s how I feel but am I over-reacting?  Am I being too cautious and cynical?  I don’t know but it absolutely doesn’t feel right to me.  And even if you set aside any fears of the darker side of life, is it really appropriate to allow your kids to be naked in public?  I don’t think so.

Would you let your kids take off all their clothes in a busy, public place?  All it takes is that one wrong person to see them so I think even though it’s a very small risk, it’s a risk not worth taking.  Similarly I wouldn’t put pictures of my kids without clothes on this blog or any social media either.  But aside from any dangers, I still think there’s no reason for kids to take their clothes off in public.  What do you think?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Have a wonderful weekend full of lots of playtime in the sunshine!  And a very happy 4th of July to my American readers. x