What do you do if you child wants to be a nudist?

Answer 1

You should allow them to be a nudist, and accept them for who they choose to be.

Another viewpoint:

By "child" I'm assuming you mean a child under the age of 18. If that's the case, then you teach them their body is not to be paraded around naked, to have respect for themselves and for others. Also, ask your child (and yourself) why s/he wants to be a nudist. Does s/he think it's cool, or is it a way to get attention?

Another thing to consider: If you allow your child to go nude at home, s/he will be the target of ridicule and taunts at school when word gets out about this. And yes, it will. Things like this have a way of not staying secret. So you need to consider the damage it could do the the child who wants to go nude. You, as the adult, are aware of the consequences, while the child (even an older child) is not. So it is your responsibility to instill in your child the importance of consequences.

Do you have any other children? If so, think of the impact this could have on them, especially if they are younger or of the opposite sex. To have a girl in her teens, or even pre-teen years, walking around the house nude could result in serious conflicting emotions for her brother. You have to consider the emotional well being of you family as a whole, not just the whims of one child.

The bottom line though, is as long as they are still a minor, and/or live in your home, they have to wear clothing at all times out of respect for the fact that you don't approve of it. When s/he gets her/his own home, they can go naked all they want, but until then, they have to abide by your rules, and respect your feelings. Just because someone wants to go around naked, doesn't mean others should be forced to look at them that way.

If, after they are grown and have their own home, and still want to be a nudist, that is then their choice, which you will have to accept. But you still have the right to expect them to put clothing on when in your presence, which they should do anyway, out of respect for you, as the parent. For them to do otherwise, would not only be extremely inconsiderate and disrespectful.

In the meantime though, you may want to consider a compromise by letting the child go nude in his or her bedroom (unless the bedroom is shared with sibling). If so, they need to keep their bedroom door closed at all times while nude, sparing the rest of the family members and/or overnight guests the unpleasantness of passing by their door and seeing nudity, especially if there are younger or opposite sex siblings in the home.

Oh, and I would bring plastic sheeting with me when going to the home of a nudist and place it on the sofa before I sat down on it, even it it was the home of my child.

Another viewpoint:

Most people who want to be nudists do not do it for any prurient interest, but rather because they are more comfortable being naked. You, as a parent, have a choice to make: do you reinforce societal norms and risk teaching your child that their body is somehow evil, which could give them body-acceptance issues, make them feel fat, ugly, etc.? There are a great many children in the world who are nudists, who have learned to accept their bodies as natural, regardless of the shape or size, and who have learned to accept others in the same capacity.