It’s summer, so there is the temptation to just let your kids run through the sprinklers in the buff or, if they are young enough, just hang out at the beach or the pool without a diaper. But is it okay for your kids to be seen in public naked? And if you do let your kids get naked, is there an age when you think they should cover up? All of these questions and more were the topics of Dr. Ann’s spot yesterday on WLW 700 AM Radio in Cincinnati during the Tracy & Eddie Show.

First, teach your kids from a very early age about their “Private/Safety Zone.” For boys, it is from their belly button to their knees. For girls, it is from their collarbone to their knees. Tell them “no one gets to touch or look at your Private Zone except your parents.”

Second, kids don’t feel guilty or ashamed of what they do or how they look until about 3½ to 4-years-old. If they can take off their own clothes, they’ll do it just because they can or because it feels good. At around 5 to 6-years-old, kids feel shame, but still do not know exactly when and where it is appropriate to be naked. As a matter of fact, some kids will take their clothes on and off without discretion in order to get control over their lives at this age. It is just like when kids say, “I don’t want to wear that” or when they refuse to get dressed in the morning.

Young children learn by repetition, model and play so teach your kids a game called “Clothes On/Clothes Off.” As their parent, you can make up any game you want to play everyday to teach this concept. Just remember to be specific about who (you or them) takes their clothes off and where the clothes come off and on (publicly or private). For example, put on some getting dressed music while you put their clothes on and tell them clothes don’t come off until the music starts again.

One important point to remember is in our country, it is illegal to expose yourself in public, so at some point kids need to learn to keep their clothes on. Always respect other families. They may not want to see your kids naked, especially if they are not a part of your family.

If you’re in the privacy of your own home, is nakedness okay? Every family is different. A few years ago, a mom told me this story about her son. She said, “I was rushing out of the shower and realized I forgot to get a towel before I got in, so I ran down the hall naked to grab one. Just as I ran by my 8-year-old son’s room, he stuck his head out, took one look at me and gave my bottom a little swat. I was blown away and didn’t know how to respond.” My answer to her was simple “IT IS TIME TO STOP RUNNING AROUND NAKED!” Once “touch” gets associated with naked, that is another sign that it is time to teach your kids to cover up. If your kids’ bathe together, once they start to want to touch each other’s Private Zone, or ask their sibling to “show” their Private Zone, then kids should start to bathe separately and not be naked in front of each other.

Be sure to always respect your child’s request to cover up their body, even if it seems foolish to you as their parent.

Hope you’ll have a lively discussion in your household tonight about this topic, Dr. Ann