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At What Age is Bathroom Privacy ESSENTIAL?
Thursday, August 23, 2012 by Stef Daniel from Mom, Myself, & I
Nearly any mom site or blog that you happen across in your internet surfing lifetime will include a joke, an article, a blog post, or a reference in general to the lack of privacy that mothers get in the bathroom.
Maybe pregnancy care is so invasive as a way to prepare women for the fact that their private life is about to end. Completely.
As children grow up however, is it safe to say that the need for bathroom privacy increases?
Obviously, your 5 or 6 year old likely doesn't mind you assisting them with a bath or with getting dressed. And you definitely don't want to leave them alone in the bathtub.
But what about your 9 or 10 year old? Many girls today begin developing at 9 or 10 years old.
In my experience raising daughters, the need for privacy in the bathroom is one that tends to develop naturally, alongside your children. Unfortunately, even though they may not want you to burst in on them while they are in the bathroom - they will STILL burst in on you.
Does it ever become inappropriate for a child to see their parent naked? And does this happen more quickly with opposite sex parents than it does with same sex parents?
In our home, once the girls reached a certain age they became modest around their dad. And they quit barging in the bathroom to talk to him when he was using the toilet. We didn't have to make a point of teaching them to do this, it just progressed naturally. I have also ALWAYS wanted to be sure that we didn’t treat nudity like some sort of taboo or sin in my house. My 5 year old still walks around naked all the time, relishing in the laughs and giggles she gets from showing us her adorably pudgy butt. But my older girls do not.
I find it funny, that I have had to teach myself to KNOCK on the door when they are in the bathroom or changing in their rooms, because their modesty has developed. Even though I say, "It's just me, mom," I have to remember to respect the fact that they don’t wish for me to interrupt their privacy.
And in return, I can finally ask that they don’t interrupt mine.
For your family, what is the age where privacy becomes essential for both parents and children? Any tips for other moms struggling with this same issue?
Stef Daniel
Stef Daniel is the 40ish year old, experienced (meaning crazy already)
mother of count ‘em…4 daughters (yes, she takes prayers) who have taught
her nearly E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G she needs to know about raising kids and staying
sane.
She hails from ...Read More
