Do you think these parents have a problem?

Oops - succinct!

Bags, I love the succint way you sum up our discussions. I wonder if the attitude to nudity is related to age (although I am 72 and have no problem with it).

Good morning bags

People certainly are entitled to feelings of distate, and to express them. And other people are entitled to ask "what problem?", to suggest that there wasn't one, and to further suggest that there wasn't anything the children needed protecting from in this instance.

Which is what, between us, we've done. Cheers for gransnet.

The common denominator was of course the swimming pool who should have made provision to protect both parties especially nowadays when there are so very many restrictions around children. I did say that I don't expect the children even noticed and wouldn't have been upset but that doesn't make it acceptable, and anything that arouses us to have this much of a conversation must have an element of distaste for some people who are as entitled to those feelings as much as anyone else.

Wonder how the naked swimmers felt about being ogled at and having their innocent party subjected to attention when they where just as much the injured party,they hadn't done any wrong,they had probably booked their party telling the pool of their intention and it was a private party not an orgy.Two sides to every story methinks.

The problem is that we equate nakedness with sexuality when we don't need to.

The nakedness wasn't at the children's party. The naked swimming was a separate event. Maybe the place where the children's party was held should invest in some curtains, but I really don't think those children have been or even would have been damaged by seeing some people swimming in the nude.

Flashing in public and such like overtly sexual behaviour is completely different.

There are measures of acceptability in all things - of course there's nothing wrong with nakedness, but there is a time and a place and a children's party is neither - and if there was no element of discomfort about it, people wouldn't be fined for flashing in public, and naturalists would be pottering about Sainsbury doing their weekly shop. Nothing wrong with sex either but you wouldn't be doing that at a children's party either.

I'm with you Bags - my girls would get in the bath with their dad when they were little, so the male body was not some big mystery to them. It reminds me of that bible story of Adam and Eve, when they had to cover themselves because they had become ashamed of their bodies.
At my convent school, which did not have single man on the premises, we changed after gym in a communal changing room, and the contortions we had to use to prevent any other girl seeing our underwear were wonderful to behold. Boy, were those nuns good at instilling guilt!
At the other extreme, I never forced girls to use communal showers on the odd occasion I had to take a PE or games lesson, because I thought it was cruel to force them if they were embarrassed.

Since when has nakedness been "completely wrong"? Dear me!

If I joined in it would have put them off their food!

jeni . I suspect my some of my GC would have wanted to do likewise!

If it'd been my party I'd probably have joined in!

I've always found it remarkable how little children notice outside their own little worlds and how 'for granted' they take things. Now, if it had been My birthday party I would have been outraged and I can see where you are coming from. The 'naked' party should have been well advertised for one and all to choose and the swimming pool were completely wrong.

Would the children have even noticed if the parents hadn't made such a fuss by positioning themselve strategically so the children couldn't see. My experience of parties is that once the food appears the children think of nothing else. If they had seen anything I doubt any would have been damaged more likely they'd have an uncontrollable fit of the giggles and it would be a party they would remember for ever.

I wonder what the reaction would have been by the naturists if the children had gone outside and had a good giggle! Seriously though, it was a mess up (I couldn't write what I really mean ) and both sides should have had a refund.

Perhaps that's why so many of us prefer 'willy', Greatnan

American advertisers are not allowed to use the word vagina. They can say penis. When my girls used the correct anatomical names at primary schools some other mothers complained that they were corrupting their little darlings. It is odd how all the synonyms for the female genitals seem to be unpleasant whilst those for the penis stress its strength and power.

I've mentioned before that I think most men look pretty ridiculous without their clothes. This would have put me right off my slice of birthday cake.

It was obviously bad planning on behalf of the swimming pool,I am just thinking naked adults having fun in a non threatening way to the children,embarrassing yes but harmful no I don't think so,not right obviously,at 6/7 children are quite amused by bums and willies....some of us never grow out of it...would have just asked management to fill in the gaps a bit better,after I had had a look purely in the interests of risk assessment of course dare I hope I don't upset anyone with my two pen north .

I can imagine the tittering that would be going on! My GS (then 7), when informed that he couldn't go any further along a particular beach because it was a naturist area, was all for going and joining in. Not sure if he was also told it was a gay naturist beach....
BTW, why is it that the people who take their clothes off are the ones you really would prefer to see clothed?

A willy's a willy for a' that!