Leading By Example

[DadInASpeedo]

We had dinner last night with another family that have a son on my older son's swim team. After we ate, the kids went off and did their own thing while we chatted in the kitchen.

We got on the topic of swimming, and my wife asked if their son had had any issues wearing a speedo. They said it hadn't been a problem at all. In fact, he'd been excited to finally get to wear a swim brief. We related our own experience and how the skimpy swimsuit had almost caused our son to quit the team.

"Are you a naked family?" asked the other mother.

"We've always tried to teach the boys not to be ashamed of their bodies," my wife responded.

The other couple went on to explain what they meant by "naked family". Nudity had always been a normal occurrence in their house and continued to be even as their kids (they have a 17 year old daughter as well) got older. For example, this past summer they went on a family camping trip and shared one big tent. Rather than taking turns in the tent to change, they simply undressed in front of each other. They also frequently use their hot tub nude as a family.

The more we talked, the more it became clear that my wife and I have been very modest around our sons. Other than rare exceptions, nudity was something that occurred behind closed doors. They made the obvious connection that our modesty may be why our son was reluctant to wear a speedo.

We told them how we'd used the soaking tub together when we'd been on vacation last month. Everyone agreed that it could be a signal that our sons might be open to a more "naked" lifestyle.

"I'm not sure we can just become nudists at home," joked my wife.

They considered it for a moment. "We could take a dip in the hot tub just to break the ice," suggested the other mother.

We suggested it to the kids, and they were interested. We didn't mention the naked part. While our friends went to their respective bedrooms to change, we took our sons into the living room. We explained that our friends use the hot tub without swimsuits and had invited us to join them.

Our boys exchanged a look of shock. We explained that we'd been talking about it and reminded them how much fun we'd had on vacation. The other mom peeked around the corner. I told her we were going to need a minute. She told us to join them when we were ready.

"I'll do it," our younger son said when she'd left. His older brother nodded, perhaps giving into peer pressure. We undressed awkwardly. When we were all naked we stood there hiding ourselves as best one can when wearing no clothes.

Then our boys started to laugh. We couldn't help but join them. Soon all four of us were cracking up. "This is kind of weird, right?" said my older son.

"A little," my wife agreed. "Shall we join them?" We all nodded. Then we made our way out to the hot tub.

It was awkward at first, but we quickly grew more comfortable. I think it helped that our friends were so used to it.

We were reluctant to leave, but eventually it was getting late. We got out of the hot tub and went back into the house, naked and unashamed. Everyone dried off and got dressed.

On our way home, my wife asked our boys, "How would you feel if we were naked around the house a little more often?"

"That'd be awesome," our younger son said without hesitation.

"That's cool, I guess," our older son said less enthusiastically.

It was late when we got home, so we all got ready for bed. Our younger son came to say goodnight. I was still in the bathroom. My wife was in the bedroom. I heard her giggle and say goodnight. I looked around the corner and saw my naked son. I couldn't help but laugh too as I said goodnight.

This morning our younger son came to breakfast in his birthday suit. We'll see what the future brings. Hopefully we can set a good example for our kids and help them become comfortable with themselves.