Yes, I fear it does happen, and being accused is equivalent to being guilty in the court of public opinion, so who can blame someone for not wanting to risk it?
I have a gaggle of em, and they all wear their clothes in public.
Nice sidestep.
Wow, that’s even one further removed. Now we have A regulating the clothing status of B based on what friend F thinks that hypothetical D might think of poor C. (And still no sight of E.)
So the issue isn’t the pedophiles. It’s not even the pedophile-phobics. It’s the pedophile-phobic-phobics. (Or, in the scenario above, the pedophile-phobic-phobic-phobics.)
(I guess I’m lucky that I’m just a pedophobe, pure and simple. I wouldn’t talk to the kid, or give him a second thought, in any case. Unless I notice a puddle of pee where I’m sitting. Then I’ll kick him into the ocean.)
Does what happen? - the fear or the 911 call?
The fear definitely happens.
What the ever-living-fuck does being gay have to do with naked kids?
Didn’t you hear? All gays are pedophiles.
Either that, or all pedophiles are gay. I can never remember which.
If it were normal, kids would go around naked all the time. It wouldn’t be the mark of shame that your kid runs outside naked. I wouldn’t have gotten spanked for going outside as a kid with only my socks and shoes on.
So either most of you US Dopers are extremely esoteric in your beliefs, are extremely out of touch with current social mores, or, as he suggests, you are focusing on the fact that you don’t feel scandalized or freaked out when it happens, and not on the fact that it is considered to go against social standards, and thus qualifies as rude.
Yes, grude, your wife is correct about current social mores. It is, at best, considered trashy for your kid to go around like that, and, yes, part of the reason for that is that it shows a lack of caring about pedophiles, whether that’s rational or not. It is indeed the current social climate, at least, in the U.S. And it has been since at least since 1989, when I went out like that.
Sorry, old people. Nudity is more a taboo than it was when you were a kid. Guys don’t shower together or swim nude much, either. Times have changed.
And, yes, it’s stupid, seeing as we also for some reason accept little kids wearing “sexy” clothing. No one said social mores are rational.
I just said that seeing a naked 4 year old at a beach or lake wouldn’t bother me.
That said, I DO understand the fear of looking like a pervert around kids. When I’m alone, I think twice before chatting with or smiling at even a fully clothed cute kid. Last weekend, my son was playing at a nearby creek, and starting hanging wround with another little boy. My son climbed a tall rock, but the other little boy needed a boost.
I was more than willing to help him, but I made a point of asking if his Mom or Dad was around, and if it was okay with them. I mean, I WAS the streotypical stranger she’s probably warned him not to talk to! Luckily, his Mom was nearby, and she gave me a smile and wave, to show it was okay.
But it just goes to show… even those of of who are NOT pervs worry about being seen that way.
I wouldn’t be disturbed by any nudity at the beach . . . regardless of age, gender, body size, etc.
It is rational. Well, it’s creepy, but it’s not a paradox. It’s just two sides of the same coin. Covering up nudity and dressing up in sexy outfits are both about sexualizing the body.
I am exactly with you. It wouldn’t bother me in the slightest as long as the kid wasn’t p155ing in an inappropriate spot.
Some others have made reference to it makes your wife uncomfortable therefore it must stop, my reaction to that is to tell the missus to lighten up a bit. Let kids be kids while they can, we take away their innocence soon enough.
This – I have a 4 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. While either of them will whip their clothes off at a moment’s notice, my wife and I are actively working on what is socially acceptable – being naked in public (generally) isn’t one of those things.
Would it bother me? Nope. Would I feel better if a parent was attempting to corral the kiddo and get some form of appropriate clothing for the situation? Yup.
This will only make sense to Karl Grenze probably but nope not Maracas, Chaguramas.
Just to clarify he is peeing in the ocean surf, and it is not a crowded beach by any measure probably hundreds of feet between people. Easy enough to walk away if you feel crowded. Also he takes his shorts off to pee or because he doesn’t like the feeling, we can try to put it back on and he can take it off again, we’re not intentionally exposing a naked kid to get controversy or anything.
Interesting opinions though, thanks.
Has anyone’s discomfort ever ended because someone told them to “lighten up”?
Or does her comfort not actually matter so once your edict has been delivered, you can just carry on with doing things your way? Treating your spouse this way is quite crappy.
A naked 4 year old would bother me no more than a naked adult would.
Wouldn’t bother me in the least as long as, like Ibanez, the kid stayed away from me. If the kid was running around near me or, worse, trying to interact with me then I’d have to pack up and leave. I would be worried that some busybody would find a way to twist my presence near a naked child into an arrest or at least a talk with the police. Sure, the likelihood of that happening is small but the consequences are terrible and forever.
I had plenty of busybodies eyeball me or even ‘check up’ on me when I was out in public with my own (clothed) children - “Is this you child? Are you from around here? He’s so cute you really should …”
Right. Well, if that person was really hot and showing off, then I’d be "bothered’.
But kids being nude is no big deal. Nor adults just going about minding their own business.
This. You don’t want to be kept awake all night by a child crying about his sunburnt wiener!
I hope he’s peeing in the ocean. If I have to, I wade out until I am covered, then urinate.