# Would a naked 4 year old on a beach disturb you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693 "2014-08-03T02:43:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Miss\_Violaceous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Miss\_Violaceous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Violaceous)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/21 "2014-08-03T15:31:12Z")
I would find it a little bit odd, but I wouldn’t say “disturbed” nor would I think there was anything wrong with it once I’d had a chance to analyze my initial reaction. And that’s just a matter of it being uncommon here (US). I think the pedophile thing is paranoia. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/22 "2014-08-03T15:46:09Z")
1. Where is he peeing? Because that would bother me more than seeing him naked. 2. I’m imagining Maracas beach, and while it wouldn’t personally bother me, I don’t recall seeing many of those kids around. So I don’t think it is the norm where we currently live, **grude.** ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/23 "2014-08-03T15:46:13Z")
Kids peeing on a beach where an ocean or sea is also present? How is this an issue? Does sealife not piss and shit? In the same water? My kids/nieces/nephews loved to run naked, in what seemed to me just about everywhere; it was nothing other than kids being free running around laughing like little kids. Peeing in someones personal space is another issue though. I believe there are 2 issues here: 1) > [@](#): > > My wife however not only thinks it is rude to other beach goers to have to see GASP a sexually undeveloped child Which I see as a kid being free. Does your wife feel weird looking at other naked kids running around on the beach? 1. A predator looking from far away. In which you have no real reason to believe is happening or can stop. IMHO, let the kids be kids and deal with any issues that you know about as they arise. (Don’t let your kids pee on other peoples stuff!) ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/24 "2014-08-03T15:54:29Z")
If the mom wants the kid to keep his pants on at the beach and would rather not go if he must be naked, why not just tell him he has to put his pants back on? If he won’t cooperate, tell him it’s time to head home. Regardless of the comfort level of other people on the beach, the mom is uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/25 "2014-08-03T16:32:02Z")
The peeing is the only thing that would bother me. At least walk him back to the dune or somewhere out of high traffic. I don’t want to walk through someone’s pee, or put my towel down on it either. I don’t see naked babies down here. But if I did, no biggie. I’m more icked out by a baby with a saltwater soaked sagging disintegrating diaper in the water up current from me. Just take it off! Gross! ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/26 "2014-08-03T19:10:28Z")
At that age, it’s just cute. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/27 "2014-08-03T19:25:44Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > If the mom wants the kid to keep his pants on at the beach and would rather not go if he must be naked, why not just tell him he has to put his pants back on? If he won’t cooperate, tell him it’s time to head home. Regardless of the comfort level of other people on the beach, the mom is uncomfortable. This is how I feel about it. What does it matter what a bunch of anonymous people in some different countries (you don’t live in the US/Canada/UK/Australia IIRC?) think? If your wife thinks it’s rude, then she thinks it’s rude. And if mom wants the kid to put some pants on, put some pants on him. It makes me cringe a bit because I know we had a problem explaining to my nieces when it’s ok to be naked and when it’s not. Seems like more trouble than it’s worth to expand the options beyond “Only in the house when mommy and daddy are here.” And at what age is your rule going to change? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/28 "2014-08-03T19:53:42Z")
Wouldn’t bother me. I let my kids run around naked at the river when they were about that age - at the time, I was a little concerned what people would think (I posted a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=133859) about it) - I think now, I would care a lot less than I even did then. ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/29 "2014-08-03T20:36:49Z")
The only way I would really notice a naked 4-5 year old on the beach is if they were peeing near me or on the dry sand by other people. Otherwise, this is pretty standard behavior at the beach. Not trying to hijack but are naked kids at the beach really that uncommon for other US posters? I only ask because I split my summers in 3 beach areas (NJ, NY, SC) growing up and I have never heard anyone object to a naked kid under 5 running around. Seems like a fairly common occurrence to me. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/30 "2014-08-03T20:43:37Z")
Pedophiles might eye your children even if they’re wearing clothes. To be safe, never let them outside. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/31 "2014-08-03T21:00:55Z")
I’d rather let them go nude than dress the little girls in tiny bikinis. As for the peeing, they are doing that whether they’re wearing shorts or not. You know that, right? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/32 "2014-08-03T21:04:27Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > I would not be disturbed. > I wouldn’t be surprised to hear rude remarks directed towards your family though, which could ruin a pleasant day. It depends on the local culture. Where I am, it would be considered trashy, but not unheard of. I could see some busybody “helpfully” lecturing you about pedophiles. Pretty much this. This is what I started to write, then noticed your post: It wouldn’t directly bother me, but the situation where other people are bothered by such things would make me a bit concerned. I don’t want my day at the beach ruined by a yelling match, or worse, as a result of someone’s misplaced notions. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/33 "2014-08-03T21:09:13Z")
I have no problem with a four year old running around naked. But I do have issues with a kid peeing wherever he feels like. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/34 "2014-08-03T21:09:41Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > A naked 4 year old at the beach with his parents is just innocent nudity. I don’t see a problem with it. I might be concerned about where they pee, though. > > **aceplace** brings up something I wonder about now and then. When should girls start covering up on top? Sure, I understand they develop at different ages and there’s no strict line, but can we an approximate line? Maybe 7 years old? I guess this question is directed at the women here as they have experience in this that I lack. What, and a topless 8 year old at the beach with her parents isn’t innocent nudity? Is she pulling Betty Page poses or something? Yelling propositions at the guys playing volleyball? I don’t really have any issue with a 4 year old running around naked, although I think nearly school-aged is generally old enough to be learning that there are things we just don’t do in public. This idea that nudity is “innocent” or not depending solely on how developed your body is, though…that I have some serious issues with. I mean, yeah, the four year old running around with his dick flapping in the wind doesn’t have any sexually provocative intentions, but neither does the 10 year old running around with her barely developed breast buds hanging out. Same intentions, totally different interpretations. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/35 "2014-08-03T21:51:43Z")
Really good point. You old dog, you. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/36 "2014-08-03T21:55:22Z")
Oh, we’re all turning into pedophiles. Newsflash: Adam and Eve didn’t put on fig leafs until they knew that they were supposed to be ashamed of their nudity. We only cover up things that we find sexually titillating. By putting shorts on tiny boys and covering up tiny girls’ imaginary bosoms in tiny bikinis, we’re all just saying that we now see those things as sexual. And we should be smacking ourselves for even thinking that. Just let the kids run naked. They don’t feel ashamed about it, or get turned on, so we shouldn’t either. In the same way that no one is more obsessed about food than an anorectic, no one is more obsessed about sex than a moralist. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/37 "2014-08-04T00:45:00Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > What, and a topless 8 year old at the beach with her parents isn’t innocent nudity? Is she pulling Betty Page poses or something? Yelling propositions at the guys playing volleyball? I’m not saying it isn’t innocent. What I’m wondering is before girls begin to develop, do they begin to get self-conscious about publicly displaying their bare chest. And if so, is there a general age where this self-consciousness begins? ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/38 "2014-08-04T01:01:09Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > …We only cover up things that we find sexually titillating. By putting shorts on tiny boys and covering up tiny girls’ imaginary bosoms in tiny bikinis, we’re all just saying that we now see those things as sexual… So should ads with toddlers on TV be allowed to show nudity? ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/39 "2014-08-04T01:04:39Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I’m not saying it isn’t innocent. What I’m wondering is before girls begin to develop, do they begin to get self-conscious about publicly displaying their bare chest. And if so, is there a general age where this self-consciousness begins? I imagine it’s dependent on the prevailing culture. I grew up largely in a hippie/commune environment where nudity across the board was every day normal, but to us kids, about 10 years old was the point where some privacy was demanded. That said, I personally would not be bothered in the least by a naked 4-year-old on a beach. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693/40 "2014-08-04T01:27:52Z")
I would be bothered because I’d be trying to avoid getting a glance of his genitals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-naked-4-year-old-on-a-beach-disturb-you/694693.md?page=3)