I came into a family in progress. My wife did a great job of raising them in the conventional manner before I came along, but they were pretty set in their ways. I had brothers, sisters, and cousins who raised their kids to be more comfortable with nudity than these kids where. But if I could start from scratch, these would be my rules. Use them for ideas yourself (or things to avoid if you disagree).
1) Mom and dad should be seen naked by the kids often enough to understand that it is normal and healthy to be that way in the privacy of one's own home.
2) Behave no differently whether you're naked or clothed. Don't shut them out just because you're naked.
3) As long as they are in the presence of family and out of view of others, they have a right to be naked at home any time they want. Or to be clothed anytime they want.
4) Encourage them by example, not by pressure, to remain naked after bathing, in bed, and until they have to get dressed to leave the house the next day. Better blankets instead of fancy PJs.
5) Take them to nudist resorts early and often and have them see nudity in a healthy social atmosphere. Encourage them to socialize with other kids there.
6) Teach them everything they want to know about sex and the human body, and everything they need to know, whenever they ask, or whenever something needs explaining.
7) Teach them to never be ashamed of being naked, and to immediately report any inappropriate touching or behavior from anyone that makes them uncomfortable. Make them a pedophile's worst nightmare.
8) Teach them that they'll lose the privilege of being naked if they're naked when they shouldn't be. 24 hours of absolutely no nudity other than solo bathing for each offense. Having to wear clothing is punishment when they're older, let them learn that nudity in a society which doesn't openly accept it, is tricky business.
9) Puberty is a time of change and insecurity. They are, of course, free to be clothed, but encourage them to be naked and to accept themselves as they change. Stay naked for them.
10) Teach them from the start that a lot of people aren't comfortable with nudity and to respect that. But that they are not to be ashamed and hide the fact that we feel differently.
11) It would be ideal if we were completely open with everybody about being a nudist family.
12) Create a private back yard. Put in a pool, hot tub, or sauna and use them often nude yourself.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Nakey! Nakey! Nakey! (Children Naked)
Everyone starts off in life without any inhibition toward nudity. Preschoolers often go through a phase where they get a taste of being naked, and they really really like it! For a while afterwards, the parent finds themselves running after their kid, trying to put clothes on them. It takes a lot of hard work and patience to condition them that it's "wrong" to be naked around strangers.
I wonder some times why I found it so easy as an adult to free myself of this conditioning, while others are scared to death to even sleep alone nude. I grew up in a conservative, church going, southern middle class family, but my mother, in particular, didn't want us to be ashamed of our bodies or intolerant of other people's bodies.
A good example of how this played out is when our whole family would get together for a holiday with my younger brother and his son, or my younger sister and her daughter. My nephew was particularly adept at picking up vibes from the adults about what annoys them, but what he could still get away with it. He'd sometimes strip and join the family group, reveling in his nakedness ("nakey! nakey! nakey!").
The reaction of the family members was always interesting. Without the least discussion among ourselves, we were fine with it, as if it was an unsaid right that children have a right to be naked at home with family. No one would complain and the kid could play around naked as much as he liked. My thoughts were always "enjoy it while you can kid, you won't get away with it for much longer". My niece was afforded the same luxury, but she took advantage of it much less often.
An older cousin was raising his son in a nudist household. We'd visit them as a family every Sunday after Church when I was a teenager. As a rule, the kid was always naked around the house, and it was always fine with my parents and us that he was.
An older cousin was raising his son in a nudist household. We'd visit them as a family every Sunday after Church when I was a teenager. As a rule, the kid was always naked around the house, and it was always fine with my parents and us that he was.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Gym Naked
There's some strange variability to the tolerance of nudity in gyms, at least here in the US. When I was a kid, showing after PE was not an option and the showers were open affairs. Likewise, in Scouting, the camps had open outdoor showers. I think this was intentional to teach kids not to be ashamed of their bodies, and it was, of course, cheaper to build the facilities that way. Now, it seems kids prefer not to shower at school, and a lot of them have individual shower stalls, so they aren't seen naked by the other kids. Personally, I think the open showers a better idea. At the time I didn't like them, but because you had to use them, you got used to it and soon didn't mind the fact that you've seen all your classmates naked, and they've seen you naked. There was a small amount of teasing, but really not much.
Later in life, you might join a gym to get back into or to stay in shape. There's a strange etiquette in such places. Most men don't seem to have any problem being nude around others for a brief period while changing, but some seem to have no problem going to and from the showers, standing at the sink, or chatting with friends, remaining nude all the time. I'm somewhat in between. I go to and from the shower nude (not wanting to wrap a clean towel around my sweaty body), but keep a towel around me at other times. Even though I'm comfortable being nude around other men, I'm aware of the fact that a lot of other people there are uncomfortable with anything more than brief nudity.
It used to be at the gym I go to that about half the users of the jacuzzi and saunas were nude (same sex only). I preferred it that way. Otherwise, I'd have to bring something to wear, and have something wet and sweaty to take home. But apparently, some complained and now a swim suit is required for both. I still just wear a towel wrapped around me in the sauna and just avoid the jacuzzi.
In other countries, nudity in a sauna is the norm, and mixed nudity amoung friends and family is common in Scandinavian countries. So I suspect the gym etiquette is more relaxed in Europe.
Oh... one final note... Gym and gymnasium are derived from the Greek word Gymnos, meaning naked. This is because athletes practiced, studied, and competed in the nude in ancient Greece and the early Olympics were all done in the nude.
Later in life, you might join a gym to get back into or to stay in shape. There's a strange etiquette in such places. Most men don't seem to have any problem being nude around others for a brief period while changing, but some seem to have no problem going to and from the showers, standing at the sink, or chatting with friends, remaining nude all the time. I'm somewhat in between. I go to and from the shower nude (not wanting to wrap a clean towel around my sweaty body), but keep a towel around me at other times. Even though I'm comfortable being nude around other men, I'm aware of the fact that a lot of other people there are uncomfortable with anything more than brief nudity.
It used to be at the gym I go to that about half the users of the jacuzzi and saunas were nude (same sex only). I preferred it that way. Otherwise, I'd have to bring something to wear, and have something wet and sweaty to take home. But apparently, some complained and now a swim suit is required for both. I still just wear a towel wrapped around me in the sauna and just avoid the jacuzzi.
In other countries, nudity in a sauna is the norm, and mixed nudity amoung friends and family is common in Scandinavian countries. So I suspect the gym etiquette is more relaxed in Europe.
Oh... one final note... Gym and gymnasium are derived from the Greek word Gymnos, meaning naked. This is because athletes practiced, studied, and competed in the nude in ancient Greece and the early Olympics were all done in the nude.
Sunbathing Naked
Depending on your local culture, nude sunbathing varies from being common, at least in private, to being rare to non-existent. When I was a teenager, we wound up with a girl from France for a or week or so. She was an exchange student who had never visited the US before and wasn't familiar with our "particularities". Within a few days, the sunny warm Florida sun was inviting so she decided borrow a beach towel and lay out in the sun out in our back yard.... Naked. I noticed but didn't say anything. But when my mother saw her out there, she went crazy. She ran out waving a towel, screaming. The girl was alarmed and confused by my mothers actions. What do you mean, you can't sunbathe naked in your own back yard? I might add that we didn't have a fence and neighbors from all sides could have easily seen her.
One of my priorities is to maintain the privacy of my back yard, and I enjoy getting some sun back there when I can, and the most comfortable way to do it is to be naked. It's not that I lay out in the sun all day. I know that's not good for you. Rather, I work all week indoors and am often busy on the weekends, so I'm lucky to get any sun, which is kind of silly given how sunny and warm it is here in Florida most of the year. Hence, most of the time I have little or no tan. Certainly less than most people here. But in the summer months when I can get out there for an hour or so at a time, my tan can get pretty dark. My tan so even that you'd think I didn't even have a tan but that it's my natural skin coloring. And personally, I like the evenly colored look. Tan lines seem so garish and artificial, and the sun and wind feel so nice, unbroken across one's skin.
I doubt people even notice that I'm evenly tanned when they see me changing at the gym or when the doctor's checking me out down there. If they do, I hope they wonder and at least for a moment stop to consider what it would be like if they could do likewise.
Swimming Naked (aka "skinny-dipping")
Next to sleeping naked, this is something a lot of people have done at least once. Whether as a practical matter on a hot day in a remote area, or on a dare. I used to go backcountry camping a lot, hiking for days, carrying everything I needed in a backpack. It's hot sweaty work, and going for days without a bath gets old (not to mention, smelly). In many places, there's plenty of opportunities to slip into a lake or stream without anyone else being around. Doing it naked is a matter of practicality... No wet clothing to have to wait around until it's dry. Plus, it's much colder to be in wet clothing, than to be naked. And it's nice to just "air dry" and move on, without carrying anything wet.
On a dare, alone or with others, there's way too much anxiety attached. It's an uncomfortable situation with others around (until you get used to it), and when alone, you're worried that others might see you.
But if you give it a chance, the first thing you notice how nicely you just glide through the water without the drag of wearing a swim suit. And it's really really nice to not have that heavy wet nasty clingy wad of clothing around you when you get out. The water just sheds off you and you dry much quicker and more evenly than if you're wearing something.
We have completely private back yard with a pool and a hot tub. Needless to say, neither my wife or I wear a stitch using them if we can at all help it. It's wonderful to just jump in without having to change into a swim suit or change out of that wet nasty thing each time. All of which makes going for a dip more spontaneous on a hot day or when doing chores. You don't need anything you don't already have, and you dry quickly without any fuss, change back if need be, or just stay naked afterwards, if you can get away with it.
We don't make a big secret of it (we even have a playful sign by the pool to that effect) and anyone is welcome to swim naked in our pool whether we're around, or not.
On a dare, alone or with others, there's way too much anxiety attached. It's an uncomfortable situation with others around (until you get used to it), and when alone, you're worried that others might see you.
But if you give it a chance, the first thing you notice how nicely you just glide through the water without the drag of wearing a swim suit. And it's really really nice to not have that heavy wet nasty clingy wad of clothing around you when you get out. The water just sheds off you and you dry much quicker and more evenly than if you're wearing something.
We have completely private back yard with a pool and a hot tub. Needless to say, neither my wife or I wear a stitch using them if we can at all help it. It's wonderful to just jump in without having to change into a swim suit or change out of that wet nasty thing each time. All of which makes going for a dip more spontaneous on a hot day or when doing chores. You don't need anything you don't already have, and you dry quickly without any fuss, change back if need be, or just stay naked afterwards, if you can get away with it.
We don't make a big secret of it (we even have a playful sign by the pool to that effect) and anyone is welcome to swim naked in our pool whether we're around, or not.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Sleeping Naked
A common question seems to be "Is it OK to sleep naked"? or "do you sleep naked"? I answer those a lot, though sometimes I get tired of answering the same question.
It drives me a nuts that people are so up tight about nudity that they find it a big deal that some people actually sleep in their own beds without wearing any clothing. Long before I become comfortable with nudity, I started to sleep nude. All the time in college, but I sometimes also slept that way at home in high school, not thinking the least about it other than it was more comfortable to sleep that way on a warm night, or any night with enough covers over me. To me, I wasn't naked... I was wearing a sheet and covers over me. And if they did fall off me, big deal. I was alone in my own room.
For me, it's more comfortable because I hate feeling a waistband, and I hate that wearing something binds and twists around oneself. To me the perfect bed has just a down comforter, a practice I noticed is common over in Germany. Not having clothing or other covers allows one's skin to breathe freely through the light and fluffy down, even when it's cold in the room. You sleep fresh, warm, and free of the weight and distraction of coverings.
My wife felt the same way about sleeping naked since about the same time, many years before we met. We have both slept that way ever since.
As to the "issues" people have with it. Is it OK if the kids do it? Exactly what would you be teaching them if you told them that it wasn't? Is it OK to do it if you're a kid and your parent's don't know or might not approve? I can't help you there if they're going to be weird about it. But most likely, even if it's something they don't or wouldn't do themselves, they'll probably be OK with letting you "try it", hoping maybe that it's just a fad you'll grow out of. But they'll probably get used to it after a while anyway, and won't care. It's not that they'll actually have to see you naked if they respect your privacy enough.
Share a bedroom with a sibling? They probably see you naked as much when you change, as when you'd disrobe and climb into bed or when you wake up and dress. What if you do it and a parent wakes you up and finds out? Don't make a big deal of it and they'll likely just give you a bit more privacy afterwards. I had that happen with my step-daughter trying to get her up one morning when she didn't want to get up. Her freaking out and finally telling me that she was naked underneath the covers was all she had to say to have me leave the room and leave her alone. Obviously, I didn't mind, because she knew we always slept that way.
Either way, your kids, your siblings, or your parents probably aren't going to care and will just leave you alone once they know. You won't need to lock your door. The bogeyman isn't going to get you.
What if there's a fire? Just keep a set of shorts and a tee shirt nearby if that bothers you. Personally, if I need to get out that fast because of a fire, I'm not going to care if I exit the house fully dressed, in PJs, with a towel around me, or naked as a jaybird. Your neighbors will at most, just think it's funny.
What if someone breaks into the house? For some reason which I can no longer comprehend, people feel lot more vulnerable nude than clothed. As if their cotton tee shirt is a suit of armor which would stop a knife or bullet any better or worse than skin alone. And am I supposed to embarrassed to be seen naked by someone who broke into my house? I figure the 9mm pointed at his head will give him a lot more to worry about, than the sight of a naked man confronting him.
It drives me a nuts that people are so up tight about nudity that they find it a big deal that some people actually sleep in their own beds without wearing any clothing. Long before I become comfortable with nudity, I started to sleep nude. All the time in college, but I sometimes also slept that way at home in high school, not thinking the least about it other than it was more comfortable to sleep that way on a warm night, or any night with enough covers over me. To me, I wasn't naked... I was wearing a sheet and covers over me. And if they did fall off me, big deal. I was alone in my own room.
For me, it's more comfortable because I hate feeling a waistband, and I hate that wearing something binds and twists around oneself. To me the perfect bed has just a down comforter, a practice I noticed is common over in Germany. Not having clothing or other covers allows one's skin to breathe freely through the light and fluffy down, even when it's cold in the room. You sleep fresh, warm, and free of the weight and distraction of coverings.
My wife felt the same way about sleeping naked since about the same time, many years before we met. We have both slept that way ever since.
As to the "issues" people have with it. Is it OK if the kids do it? Exactly what would you be teaching them if you told them that it wasn't? Is it OK to do it if you're a kid and your parent's don't know or might not approve? I can't help you there if they're going to be weird about it. But most likely, even if it's something they don't or wouldn't do themselves, they'll probably be OK with letting you "try it", hoping maybe that it's just a fad you'll grow out of. But they'll probably get used to it after a while anyway, and won't care. It's not that they'll actually have to see you naked if they respect your privacy enough.
Share a bedroom with a sibling? They probably see you naked as much when you change, as when you'd disrobe and climb into bed or when you wake up and dress. What if you do it and a parent wakes you up and finds out? Don't make a big deal of it and they'll likely just give you a bit more privacy afterwards. I had that happen with my step-daughter trying to get her up one morning when she didn't want to get up. Her freaking out and finally telling me that she was naked underneath the covers was all she had to say to have me leave the room and leave her alone. Obviously, I didn't mind, because she knew we always slept that way.
Either way, your kids, your siblings, or your parents probably aren't going to care and will just leave you alone once they know. You won't need to lock your door. The bogeyman isn't going to get you.
What if there's a fire? Just keep a set of shorts and a tee shirt nearby if that bothers you. Personally, if I need to get out that fast because of a fire, I'm not going to care if I exit the house fully dressed, in PJs, with a towel around me, or naked as a jaybird. Your neighbors will at most, just think it's funny.
What if someone breaks into the house? For some reason which I can no longer comprehend, people feel lot more vulnerable nude than clothed. As if their cotton tee shirt is a suit of armor which would stop a knife or bullet any better or worse than skin alone. And am I supposed to embarrassed to be seen naked by someone who broke into my house? I figure the 9mm pointed at his head will give him a lot more to worry about, than the sight of a naked man confronting him.
Why the Blog?
The problem with the web page format is it's relatively static. Pages beg for lots of content done right, and they really get stale fast. Twitter is on the other end of the spectrum. Too short to have any meaningful content. Facebook? I guess I don't get it.
I write blogs and answer questions on other subjects using different usernames. There isn't any advantage of my mixing them, as many of my interests have nothing to do with each other.
So I'll blog on my thoughts about nudity and nudism here. Expanding on my Yahoo Answers, answers, and referencing appropriate blog entries, if I think the asker or other readers want more depth.
We'll see how it works.
I write blogs and answer questions on other subjects using different usernames. There isn't any advantage of my mixing them, as many of my interests have nothing to do with each other.
So I'll blog on my thoughts about nudity and nudism here. Expanding on my Yahoo Answers, answers, and referencing appropriate blog entries, if I think the asker or other readers want more depth.
We'll see how it works.
Rick407 Today
A lot has happened since then. I married (yes I told her about my nudist background early when we were dating) and joined a family in progress with two young kids. They gradually got to know of my background, and are fine with it (they're now both adults). The wife became more of a home nudist, much to the displeasure of her daughter, but I kept my clothes on around them. They had enough trouble with their father without my "parading around" his kids.
Since then, my career, other hobbies, and family life have kept me extremely busy. Not enough that I don't enjoy sunning myself and swimming naked at least once a week in the back yard I've made completely private. Still visiting nude beaches and resorts, usually alone, when the others are away. She's been to a couple of nude beaches with me, but it just hasn't been her thing to be that way among strangers.
Instead of reposting my Geocities web pages somewhere, I decided it might be more useful to stop singing to the choir and address "non-believers" questions and issues on the subject. I looked around and give that a try at Yahoo Answers (still using the same username and Yahoo E-mail account).
I concentrate on people's questions about nudity and nudism, taking only a few minutes a day when I have time, usually in the morning before work, to answer a few questions. Sometimes giving serious long answers to idle and silly questions (hoping to educate other readers, even if doing so is a waste of time to the asker).
There are a lot of others there I tip my hat to. Some, I know through reading about them from other organizations and web pages, others, I'm "meeting" for the first time.
Since then, my career, other hobbies, and family life have kept me extremely busy. Not enough that I don't enjoy sunning myself and swimming naked at least once a week in the back yard I've made completely private. Still visiting nude beaches and resorts, usually alone, when the others are away. She's been to a couple of nude beaches with me, but it just hasn't been her thing to be that way among strangers.
Instead of reposting my Geocities web pages somewhere, I decided it might be more useful to stop singing to the choir and address "non-believers" questions and issues on the subject. I looked around and give that a try at Yahoo Answers (still using the same username and Yahoo E-mail account).
I concentrate on people's questions about nudity and nudism, taking only a few minutes a day when I have time, usually in the morning before work, to answer a few questions. Sometimes giving serious long answers to idle and silly questions (hoping to educate other readers, even if doing so is a waste of time to the asker).
There are a lot of others there I tip my hat to. Some, I know through reading about them from other organizations and web pages, others, I'm "meeting" for the first time.
Rick407 is born...
As an engineer working with computers, I decided to give writing webs page a try. Not wanting to pay a dime to do so, I stumbled on Geocities (later owned by Yahoo). Username... not very original... Rick from area code 407 (somewhere in Central Florida). It had pages on several subjects, but after a while, it was writing pages on nudism that occupied most of my time. Others were writing on the subject and I enjoyed sharing links and visiting those other sites, and writing about my own experiences.
As most of you know, Yahoo shut down Geocities several years ago. I guess it wasn't making money and was filled with barely started dead pages. I kept copies of my pages and thought about posting them elsewhere, but my pages were getting riddled with dead links and I felt that I didn't have much more to say.
If you try hard enough, you'll find dead links on other pages referencing those pages. And if you really scrounge, you can still find the content archived by others. I guess anything posted on the Internet really does live forever.
As most of you know, Yahoo shut down Geocities several years ago. I guess it wasn't making money and was filled with barely started dead pages. I kept copies of my pages and thought about posting them elsewhere, but my pages were getting riddled with dead links and I felt that I didn't have much more to say.
If you try hard enough, you'll find dead links on other pages referencing those pages. And if you really scrounge, you can still find the content archived by others. I guess anything posted on the Internet really does live forever.
My 20s and 30s... Sorting it out
On return to Florida, I tried Haulover Beach. Right off A1A a few miles up the road from Miami Beach. A short walk to hotels, with lifeguards, police patrols, vendors, and a large section of the beach marked off for "clothing optional" use. It was great and I've visited there many times.
I finally got up the nerve to go to nearby Playalinda Beach. Not officially sanctioned, but accepted for decades before a county ordinance against nudity made it officially prohibited (though people still go there and use the traditional area beyond the end of the road). The Canaveral National Seashore extends north into the next county, which doesn't have any laws against it, and I continue to go there (Apollo Beach) for years.
Work has taken me many places, and I've gone out of my way to visit nudist beaches whenever I could. It as way out of the way, but I loved going to Mazo Beach in Wisconsin. Wreck Beach near Vancouver was mind blowing. Both Mazo and Wreck are mostly college crowds, and the vibe at both was wonderful.
Meanwhile, I decided to support the effort to keep those beaches "free" and joined a couple local organizations here in Florida, and a national organization (TNS then AANR) and became a "card carrying" nudist.
With my "credentials", I decided to try a few nudist resorts. I loved them, and have enjoyed going to different ones whenever I could.
I finally got up the nerve to go to nearby Playalinda Beach. Not officially sanctioned, but accepted for decades before a county ordinance against nudity made it officially prohibited (though people still go there and use the traditional area beyond the end of the road). The Canaveral National Seashore extends north into the next county, which doesn't have any laws against it, and I continue to go there (Apollo Beach) for years.
Work has taken me many places, and I've gone out of my way to visit nudist beaches whenever I could. It as way out of the way, but I loved going to Mazo Beach in Wisconsin. Wreck Beach near Vancouver was mind blowing. Both Mazo and Wreck are mostly college crowds, and the vibe at both was wonderful.
Meanwhile, I decided to support the effort to keep those beaches "free" and joined a couple local organizations here in Florida, and a national organization (TNS then AANR) and became a "card carrying" nudist.
With my "credentials", I decided to try a few nudist resorts. I loved them, and have enjoyed going to different ones whenever I could.
Introduction - How it started
I grew up in a family of 4 kids who were taught that just because something is done a certain way, that it doesn't make it right. My mother grew up in a family from a northern European background, and it became obvious to me early on that her attitude about nudity was different. If we walked in on her when she was changing, whether naked or in any state of undress, if we tried to shy away we'd get a lecture about the human body not being anything to be ashamed or embarrassed about. She enjoyed skinny-dipping with my father late at night, and she made it clear that us kids were always welcome to join them. But, of course, we didn't.
When we were young, siblings and cousins weren't chastised for running around naked in private among family members, and the elders pretty much accepted that letting them enjoy themselves that way every now and again was a good thing. They knew that at some point as we grew older, that we wouldn't be able to get away with it.
Having acquired the Dilbert gene from my mother's father (socially awkward future engineer), the disconnect between how our family handled nudity and how other people did, interested me. In my teenage years, an older cousin married, had a son, and it became obvious that they were taking it to a new level. Simply put, the boy never had a stitch on him anytime he was home, and it was difficult to keep clothes on him in public, well beyond the years we could get away with it. We'd go visit them every Sunday after church, and we ignored the fact that the boy heading into his teens was almost always naked. I overheard my mother mention that they were nudists, and that my cousin and his wife dressed before we came over. Otherwise, they were naked too. She said that not in a disapproving way, just that it was a little different. It never affected how close we were to them.
Always questioning, but painfully shy, I resolved to face my feelings on this subject. I managed to sun myself and swim naked in a remote location a few times, but the fear of getting "caught" deterred me.
It wasn't until I was out of college and on a business trip which had stuck by myself over the weekend in San Diego that I had my chance. I heard others talking about the nude beach nearby (Black's Beach), and I decided to give it a try. No one knew me there, and at least at the time there was no legal issues with people going there and enjoying the beach that way.
Yipes! It seemed that almost everyone there was naked, except me. It took an hour before I finally got up the nerve to remove my suit and go down to the water. I absolutely loved it. I've lived near beaches my entire life, but it had never felt so wonderful. The sun, wind, and water evenly across me. No wet sandy nasty fabric wrapped around me. Sand magically just flies off as you hit the water.
I wondered up and down the beaches, met people, played a lot of volleyball, and body surfed all day, free from carrying around all that grit in my shorts. Then it hit me... I was angry, very angry, that I had been fed such a huge lie and that I had wasted 20+ years buying into it.
When we were young, siblings and cousins weren't chastised for running around naked in private among family members, and the elders pretty much accepted that letting them enjoy themselves that way every now and again was a good thing. They knew that at some point as we grew older, that we wouldn't be able to get away with it.
Having acquired the Dilbert gene from my mother's father (socially awkward future engineer), the disconnect between how our family handled nudity and how other people did, interested me. In my teenage years, an older cousin married, had a son, and it became obvious that they were taking it to a new level. Simply put, the boy never had a stitch on him anytime he was home, and it was difficult to keep clothes on him in public, well beyond the years we could get away with it. We'd go visit them every Sunday after church, and we ignored the fact that the boy heading into his teens was almost always naked. I overheard my mother mention that they were nudists, and that my cousin and his wife dressed before we came over. Otherwise, they were naked too. She said that not in a disapproving way, just that it was a little different. It never affected how close we were to them.
Always questioning, but painfully shy, I resolved to face my feelings on this subject. I managed to sun myself and swim naked in a remote location a few times, but the fear of getting "caught" deterred me.
It wasn't until I was out of college and on a business trip which had stuck by myself over the weekend in San Diego that I had my chance. I heard others talking about the nude beach nearby (Black's Beach), and I decided to give it a try. No one knew me there, and at least at the time there was no legal issues with people going there and enjoying the beach that way.
Yipes! It seemed that almost everyone there was naked, except me. It took an hour before I finally got up the nerve to remove my suit and go down to the water. I absolutely loved it. I've lived near beaches my entire life, but it had never felt so wonderful. The sun, wind, and water evenly across me. No wet sandy nasty fabric wrapped around me. Sand magically just flies off as you hit the water.
I wondered up and down the beaches, met people, played a lot of volleyball, and body surfed all day, free from carrying around all that grit in my shorts. Then it hit me... I was angry, very angry, that I had been fed such a huge lie and that I had wasted 20+ years buying into it.
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