Your children will be shocked by nudity if you teach them to be, through words and deeds. If you don't, they won't - it's as simple as that.

The comments on this thread are remarkably consistent on this. And it is true whether you consciously wanted to be open with your children (the liberal middle classes), or you had to (the poor, one-bathroom working classes).

My parents are devout Catholics. Nakedness was not natural to them, and not the rule at home. But we were many brothers and one sister (the pill was not natural to them, either), and they were not prudes (being Latin American helps, maybe).

Naked encounters were inevitable in a very communal, old one-bathroom house. It was a occasional thing, and no big deal.

Talking about parts and functions of the body was not taboo. They taught us all the correct names before we had time to learn the malicious ones (I remember my little sister correcting a boy about her age who wanted to embarass her with some colorful terminology; "it's only the penis, you moron").

Somehow, we grew up comfortable with the nude body, even not being often in the nude at home. So, there is no black-or-white rule. It it all depends on so many things: culture, religion, the parent's education....

And it is a family issue, as long as the children are not abused or hurt. Those who want to impose a benavior, be it based on culture, religion or science (fake science, sometimes), are totalitarians at heart. Shame on them. We need many more moms like the LW.

wasted and half-naked (or more) and then of course there's the nanny and all of the rest of the "help" ... which is a bit different that situational nudity in the course of a normal day -- bathing, changing clothes, even the to-and-fro of going skinny-dipping in the pool -- running around half-naked in front of "the help" or strangers is not good role modeling for the kids... and appears entirely consistent with Spears' free-floating massive hostility, complete with regularly appearing on various web sites fuck-you crotch shots ... not a good thing for young children to witness ...

My mother and I had some of our best talks while she shaved her legs in the bathtub, plucked her eyebrows in her underwear, whatever. For a few years we lived apart from my father and the house was women only. The upper floor, which had only bedrooms and bathrooms was open game. We weren't lounging naked, but with 4 women (girls?) and two bathrooms right next to each other, we didn't bother that much with modesty. My sisters and I had a pretty good idea of what was in store for us when we hit puberty and nothing ever struck us as abnormal about seeing our mother's body.

I remember only a few times seeing my father in a state of undress. Mostly when I was very young, but we often had girls who were not our own staying in our house and he was forced into modesty more than my mother.

I think the extreme secrecy and modesty in some homes is more damaging than seeing the body that brought you into the world and sustained you for some months after.

I sure wish I had time to read all the responses-- hopefully tonight I can find some time to read. But I'll just post my own response. I've got two small children (3 and 4) and they see me naked on a daily basis as well-- when I'm getting dressed, for sure, and also sometimes we actually SHOWER together, because I"m in a big darn hurry and we're late and there's not enough time, get in this shower RIGHT NOW and YES we are going to wash your hair! I am absolutely 100 percent certain that no damage is being done to them.

I have a stepson who is now 14 and I've known him since he was 3. When he was 3, and 4, and probably even 5 (I don't quite remember), I would get dressed/undressed in front of him. Children this age have no concept of modesty and should not have it imposed on them from the outside. I saw it happen in my stepson and see it happen with friends kids-- somewhere along the line, they start to develop a sense of modesty and want to hide their OWN bodies. At that point, I believe, I would certainly not bring my kids into the shower with me, and I would start to pay more attention to walking around naked. But that development of modesty is a gradual process-- I would bet your 10-year-old is already experiencing some of that. I think my stepson got more shy around age 8 or 9. Take the hint from him. If he doesn't let you see HIM naked, perhaps you should reciprocate.

But I would not, even for a minute, trouble myself over having done something wrong by allowing them to see you naked all these years. It's just a body. We all have them. I think you have, to the contrary, taught them that bodies are not something to be ashamed of. Good for you.

I have a memory from being six years old, of badly needing to use the toilet, rushing into the house and opening the bathroom door, to find my mom on the toilet. She freaked, yelled at me to get out, and pushed the door closed on me. My memory is of feeling shamed, having done something terribly wrong, simply from needing to use the toilet on short notice.

Fast-forward forty years. My own family maintains fairly relaxed standards of modesty. Of course we close bathroom and bedroom doors for company, and teach our kids about knocking and respecting privacy of others, but my kids walk in on me routinely. It's not a big deal, and I don't want to give them potty issues. I do get a little annoyed if they try to tell me to hurry up, at which point they get told, "No, that's impolite. Go use the upstairs bathroom if you can't wait." It is possible to be open and still be respectful.

We have a lock on our bedroom door, and use it when my wife and I are intimate. Obviously the kids don't need to see that (see prior comments about keeping sexuality separate from other aspects of life), but more importantly, my wife and I don't care to be interrupted.