I said, "Probably, and it might bleed some, too, but you will be okay." The dental assistant freaked out and said they don't call it blood at the office they call it "tomato juice." Are you kidding me? The last thing I want is for Noah to be hurt and call 911 and say, "I have tomato juice coming out of my body.The lady came home from the grocery store, and she saw her husband working under the car. For example, we went to a new pediatric dentist recently, and Noah asked if it would hurt. On Facebook, I've connected with some other moms of boys who also want their sons to have a realistic, positive view of women's bodies. Some of my friends don't agree, but they know I don't really care what they think about my parenting styles so they don't say too much. She raised two boys and she would never let them see her without clothes on, only me. My mom, however, is still freaked out about how open Noah and I are with being naked. I want my son to know what a real body looks like - with stretch marks and all types of imperfections. She bathed with his cousins and Noah when he was younger, and I am perfectly fine with that. She is often naked around family - including her four sons and grandchildren.
Noah's paternal grandmother has been an example for me when it comes to body image and creating a positive, comfortable environment. Hopefully, this will also help him become secure in himself and in his own body. I don't want Noah's images of women coming from Victoria Secret catalogs, movies or even, when he gets older, pornography. I want my son to know what a real body looks like - with fat, bumps, lumps, rolls, stretch marks and all types of "imperfections" - so that he will respect women and never body shame anyone. We are in a grave age where bullying and unrealistic body images are increasingly prevalent. Teaching my son about all bodies is very important to me, but especially women's bodies. He just loves the water and can stay in the shower until the water runs cold or in the bath for an hour. It happens most often if I'm exhausted after work and want to go to sleep at the same time he does. He knows Mommy wears clothes when we have company, and I expect him to be modest around others because his private parts aren't their business.Īround his fifth birthday, we started to run out of room in the shower and got more into the habit of bathing separately, but he still loves when I allow him to shower with me. I see him naked when I help him get dressed, and if I'm changing, I don't jump and cover myself if he walks in my room. Now that he's older, the questions have slowed down, but I still try not to make a huge deal out of anything. I'd gently remind him, "This is Mommy's private area, only for me to touch." I never want him to be ashamed or embarrassed of naked bodies. I tried to address them in an age-appropriate, non-judgmental manner: "These are the parts mommies and girls have, and those are the parts daddies and boys have." We also talked about who is allowed to touch our private parts. It started out mostly as a matter of convenience and saving time, but he still prefers to take showers with me.Īround 4 or 5 years old, he started noticing things and asking questions. Still, he loves our "cuggle" time, which is what he's called cuddling since he was a baby.īack then and often now, we take baths together.
Center of Attention, which he usually gets to be anyway because he's my only child and the only grandchild in my extended family. He's always showing off his flips and being Mr. My son Noah is "all boy" - he loves sports and was in gymnastics for four years.