I have not seen many, if any, posts regarding how a family initially introduces naturalism into their family lifestyle/daily living - both within the home and within a 'family' naturalist colony/resort environment.

The manner in which a family becomes an everyday naturalist family - both those who Start their family nudism from the beginning of their marriage, and those who later choose to move their family and children into the life style. How does the family introduce nudism into their lives, inclusive of all age ranges - toddlers, pre-teen/teen. Each I am sure is unique in their own right.

As a brief starter for this possible conversation, my family/father initially introduced our family into the nudist life when I was 16 (male). My stepmother fully supported their join decision to do so. However in addition to myself at somewhat later stage in my life, I also had six other step-brothers/sisters - of all age ranges. I had a 7 yr. old sister, twin 9 yr. old brother and sister, a 10 yr. old sister, and an 11 yr. old brother - And, I also had a likewise 16 yr. old step-brother.

We had moved into a new home, with a newly installed somewhat large swimming pool. My father made an house 'rule' from the outset that the new policy of the household would be that the pool would ONLY be used by each of us in the nude. If we wanted to utilize the new pool (it was summer, but it was also Heated for future mild winter use) we had to do so 'in the nude'. It would be totally our 'choice' as to whether we decided to/wanted to go into the great new pool - it was totally our decision to be made individually.

Wow - quite the surprise! To say the least. However again - our decision to make. Will it didn't take long for the decisions to be made, one by one. Of course Dad - First to test the new pool out! Same day three youngest kids - 7 and 9 yr. olds, had their clothes off and In The Pool they go - laughing all the way and making fun of the rest of us! LOL ...next day the 10 and 11 yr. old brother and sister took their first dive into the new world of nudism/naturalism. Myself? Will it took some thought, weighing the alternative's - bite the bullet, dive in, enjoy the fun, stop the laughing pointed fingers of the brothers and sisters - or hide, not being allowed enjoy the fun of the cool waters. Four days later Slowly, sneaked out into the waters early in the morning before the kids, and dad, assuredly would be soon jumping, laughing, and splashing water. ...then their daring to follow to Come on, Time to get Out of the water - time for breakfast, etc., etc. Oh, what fun times - although not so much At the moment! But hungry and reality finally won out. LOL Next day finally the last one turned the corner of bravery - Mom! ...oh yes - lets not forget my brother, the smart one (genus IQ), the likewise 16 yr. old chicken LOL - HE apparently didn't like the water/choices so much. He Never swam in the pool, ever. LOL ..His choice!

There after, due to the Size of our family - 9 ...8 active, one no show, that pool was almost continuously used from morning till night - typically 9 or 10 at night, it was a cool pool in more ways than one. And, we All, except one grew to love every minute, every opportunity to be 'Nude and Cool'!!

Great memories! Later in life during my two marriages (one 7 years, current 49 years) My families became naturalists and enjoyed the many moments of freedom! First marriage, just me and my wife, no children. Second marriage, was myself, my wife, and my at the time step-daughters whom I adopted, - ages 7 and 11 took our first trip, and membership in our local, nearby colony. Again, wife took a little more convincing than my daughters - from the time we hit the gates, the clothes were Off. LOL ...oh yes, let's not forget My sister - full blood sister of my own And Her husband, ...sister whom was only 13 months younger than me eventually joined us in the years to come. When I was then 27 and she 26 - she had heard through the years My stories and experiences and She wanted, asked to visit our group and friends at our local clothes free hangout!

Sorry this may be long, but to this day I am glad that Dad made the decision his family that he did...

Thank you for sharing.

Hope my family's experiences of initial introduction of, and years of nudism/naturalism, is helpful to others who may be considering opening up their families to the freedom both physically and mentally that naturalism can bring to their lives. ...Never attempt to force the new life style upon anyone in your family but instead open up discussions about all aspects and positives which come with it, Then 'let' each member have the freedom of choice to participate or not.

Many, if not most, upon further understanding and observation of the benefits/positives which these changes can bring to their lives will eventually choose to join the openness that it can bring. ...the 'eventual' is usually sooner than later. It can add So much to not only their current stage in life/growth, but potentially to lifelong future endeavors And their own families which are around the corner.

I believe my experience of 'how' is a good example of how you may go about your family's transition.

Referencing my earlier comments in my previous post regarding my own sister's introduction: (reminder - I was age 27 and she was 26 at the time of the following shared experience) it was with an interesting anticipation and a bit of nervousness between my sister and I regarding Our soon to be New mode of dress, or should we say Undress, as we drove to our first nudist experience at our local weekend naturalist gathering place home-away-from-home. Of course we had talked about and planned, laughed about, our upcoming trip/weekend of mutual new experiences - but to suddenly see her and her husband come out of their cabin, sans textiles, was Fun - and a Wow moment!
...my sister and I have Always had an especially close bond as brother and sister, more than the average - due to the circumstances of our individual lives in our early years. So this sharing of these new experiences was also special. My wife, myself, my sister, and her husband - quite the weekend, and weekends to follow. (a brief explanation of our bonding - we Never 'met' each other until I was 17 and she was 16 ...and Believe Me, THAT was a WOW moment on so many levels then, and still is! ...she were adopted out into a separate family when she was 2 months old, I was kept with my natural mother. And finally we found each other on that wonderful day - on Her birthday of 16!)

Honestly, it seems coercive. Can't EVER use the pool if you don't want to be naked? A bridge too far. Such a decision should be truly free.

Sorry for name confusion - don't know how to eliminate one of the two.

DipperDave - understand your comment and concern, valid point, and agree. But there was 'history' that went along with that. Complicated. But at least I was given a 'choice' this time. And, I chose to participate Due to the fact that over the previous 4 years (12 to 16) "I" had, on my own, decided no one was going to dictate my personal thoughts, decisions, or actions for me ever again. ...in a good way - I didn't go off in the deep end doing bad things/to rebel. I did it in a positive way.

During those years I had moved back home (Kansas) with my Other family, where I could gain the strength to Be myself and go forward. My 'escape' to do that was my time, a lot of time, on the nearby Arkansas river in the summer (actually year round). There I grew to be my own person And to love the Freedom of nature, sun, and warm waters flowing over and around one's body sans swimming suit. :)

And No he should Not have made it mandatory that we could Only use the pool without swim suits, or other clothing. But, as it turned out the 'young' kids were quick to chose to use it in their birthday Sunday best, and had a blast doing so. But again, not the right way. I'll leave it at that. 'Control' was stamped on his butt when he was born!

Nudism should Never be forced upon Anyone. It Should be a choice, personal choice. And at That time, it was my choice. Although the Most important aspect for me at the time was to send a 'message', which I Did accomplish - to his surprise! :) It was my statement to him that he had not beat me, mentally.

Lessons learned? How to raise kids, my kids/our kids to Have self-respect, and give respect to others, to Have personal strength of mind and body, be able to make their own decisions that are within their appropriate age/development levels. And THAT included whether They wanted to participate in nudism as a family. Our kids were given that choice, which They made of their own free will.

Nudism/Naturism is life style of freedom, personal freedom. Take away that self-worth and you have a weak person who is always searching for answers around the next bend. We are typically a group of strong willed, self-confident, and free thinking people with respect for others. Otherwise, we probably would not be participates in the family life styles we are. We can teach, we can encourage, we can represent/demonstrate what naturism is and how it can add to one's way of life. But, we can Not, should Not, ever demand participation of someone else to do so. Their choice alone.

The reason for the scarcity of "family-nudism" topics is that it is still considered very controversial - even amongst nudists. Plus there are relatively few nudists that have actually had "clothesfree" families; so there is a lack of first-hand experiences.

My story is relatively "common." I was already interested in nudism when I got married (first marriage) and had my daughter. My wife was not. But she accepted my desire to be clothesfree at home.

Fast-forward a couple of years. My wife (reluctantly) agrees to go to a nudist resort (as long as she can stay covered.) One trip leads to another; at the end of which she has an "Eureka moment" where she decides to go naked and realizes it's actually fun and relaxing. And she sees parents and their kids "au natural" together; and finds it inspiring. During that time period our growing daughter now fancies running around the house naked for a while after her bath; which we both support.
Shortly after that second resort trip, my wife and I have a short but meaningful conversation. I'm a fan of nudism, our daughter clearly likes to be nude; and my wife now has a very favorable opinion of family nudity. She sees it as a "connecting" for us as a family; and great for our daughter's personal development. So my wife asks our daughter if she wants to just stay nude after her bath. Our daughter enthusiastically responds positively; and moments later we're all nude at the dinner table enjoying dinner clothesfree.

The ensuing decision was then simply made that our home would now be "clothesfree." That might sound like "nude-mandatory"; but the reality is that's it's not really mandatory when everyone is an agreement with it. It simply meant that clothes were dropped off in the hamper by the door and everyone remained nude until the next morning.

There are many different ways to go about it. It's really about what works best for the family as a whole. Some families prefer to reserve nudity for special occasions; others might decide to make it a full-time way of life.

Family nudism has always been a complex topic of discussion. Definitely by the textile community - because they don't have an understanding of Why would Anyone want to be nude among others, nor typically do they want to understand - in their minds "it has to not be a good thing for family/kids" - and with all the connotations that go with that. And, although I don't always understand why, like you say, it can be a debated subject even among naturalist ourselves.

I believe there has been a change in attitudes regarding the aspects of 'family' nudism during the last 30+ years. Many of the previous family nudist campgrounds/resorts are becoming less, and less children friendly and more adult - some being Very adult. Even those who were once totally 'family' have lost a significant portion of their 'families', and have had to allow more individuals and couples to remain in business.

Nudist families with children have been reducing for several reasons - two of the biggest has been the due to a Substantial increase in number of adults who want to Play (and not in a good sense) - this results in Parents becoming more concerned about 'who' they can trust as to being there for the Right reasons, the Family/Safe reasons, like once upon a time you Could have near 100% confidence that all the members and families were there for the same reasons you were. Even the 'singles' were not of concern because of the vetting process but more importantly each child had a 100 eyes upon them And upon the singles amount the membership. Safety. ...'Singles and Couples' without children are just fine IF they are in fact there for the right, safe reasons.

Secondly - simply a change, a major change, in the concept of 'Family' Today. Sadly families across the board are just Less tight net, less cohesive than they once were. Of course there are exceptions, thank goodness, but today Everyone, every individual within a family are Constantly going/doing their Own Thing in all different directions - and not as a family as in generations past. And thus 'Family' anything has gone by the wayside - including family naturalism!

During the years that we were raising our kids and participating in family nudism the Nudism campgrounds/locations that we went were true family membership based, with a few singles as part of the 'family'. Great times, great friendships, a healthy way to raise a loving, cohesive family. And the nudist camps that we went to Always had a total mixture of both adults and children - lots of children. Our main nudist location we went to at the time probably had 200+ members, with probably a third of that being children. That was 50+ years ago - AND, That home-away-from-home location is Still there and going strong. It Continues to be a true family, Safe, wonderful place to enjoy and raise your family/kids. Sadly more difficult to fine nowadays.

Nudony - The way you and your family are sharing nudism within your home is the way many families are doing so today. We have to find what works for our family at the time. As you, your wife, and your daughter progress within your household with nudity becoming the norm, you may reach a point that you want to expand it even further to nearby campgrounds (nudist - lol). The true 'family' ones are still out there, just takes a little more careful searching/research.

If a family also has availability of a pool in the back yard, or a larger open space/woods among their property they will build 8' privacy fences, plant vegetation, etc. to create their own little oasis - eventually meeting and inviting friends over for mutual fun and food.

If there are any members on this site who happen to live in Texas, The place I would recommend without concerns, who remains the family camp that it has always been - the one I referred to in my previous comment, that place is Star Ranch Nudist Club, McDade, Tx. It is much fancier, has grown, than when we were members many years ago. It was Quite rustic then - in a Good way. Look it up.

The user names are easy. Since there's no logins or accounts here, you just type the name you want when you edit the post. If the wrong name is populated when you start the post, just edit it. Eventually, you'll be getting the right one automatically.

Unfortunately, that means someone could just appropriate another's user name either accidentally or on purpose, but it has never seemed to be a problem.

My story is in the Friends section of Sunny's site. As you can see it paralleled your Dad's except that no one had to be nude, and my oldest never did join in. The younger two did, but they stopped later as teenagers.

My kids are all grown now, but my wife and I still skinnydip in the spa, and our kids participate when around (in suits) without any issue.

DipperDave - what is the title of your story in the friends section? Is it "My journey to Social Nudity"

Oh...that was my first marriage. That was years ago and my daughter is now in her 20's! My fault; I used present tense in my narration to summarize the chain-of-events, but it all happened in days past.

But we did expand it, incidentally.
Bringing our daughter to a resort was initially not even discussed; even after we'd "transitioned" to a clothesfree home-life. My wife and I had "concerns" about involving our daughter in social nudism. We'd continued going to resorts/club as a couple; and the people who knew we had a daughter would question why we didn't bring her. And my wife and I ended up having our second meaningful discussion. Were our "concerns" valid or paranoid? We also figured that it might be beneficial for our daughter to develop relationships with other nudist kids, rather than just "nude with Mom and Dad"; giving her a larger perspective on clothesfree living. So we agreed to tentatively take her on our next resort trip.

And she took to it like fish in water. Made friends immediately with other kids. No shyness or anxiety about being socially nude with "strangers." We found our concerns were all unfounded. I would even say that involving her was all benefits and no drawbacks.

Which leads me to my next point. I'd heard that in days yore there would be plenty of kids at the resort. During my daughter's time, there'd be half a dozen up to a dozen. When I go to resorts now with my current wife, there might be 2 or 3. I'm glad my daughter had the experience of hanging out clothesfree with groups of kids; but it seems - at least in my region - that it's a thing of the past. The causes of this are multiple; but it still saddens me.

On the "forcing" to use the pool nude, I don't see it as forcing, since there is still a choice. Decades ago (near century ago), all swimming pools were mandatory no clothes because lint fibers would clog the filters. It wasn't until modern filtration systems and materials like lycra instead of cotton for suits that nude pool use was no longer for plumbing reasons. However, it is still more sanitary and better for the pool system with nude-only use (suits that have been washed still retain some laundry detergent and that messes with the pool's chemical balance system).

On the Texas resorts - I ran a 5k race at Star Ranch a few years ago. I'm in north Texas, so Star Ranch is a bit too far for casual visits. We mostly go to Bluebonnet just outside Decatur, TX.

"Evolution of a Dipper" by DipperDave

Thanks for the information DipperDave regarding the 'name'. I am now consistently using my initial name I used - Boomer, guess I am a Bit of a Boomer - in age, and I guess in mind also ..cause I don't understand the 'new' ways of thinking of current generations. We have lost the concepts/Values of Family, of true, long-term friendships, and of the simple but important ability to be able to communicate on a person to person level. TOO many impersonal, tech. methods of 'communication'. Thankfully the mind is still sharp. Too much technology today, no going back - and I had a 40 year career in high tech! :) :(

Logan - agree not 'forcing' in the sense of Demanding nudity household wide - a must for entire family, just the pool area. And yes he did demand that - if we 'chose' to use the pool. We could choose not to, as did my step-brother, same age - 16. I lived with him from age 11 to 12, and again for six months when I was 16 - during the times I reference herein. Guess he re-thought his actions, of force, when I was 11. He was married six times, I guess that tells a story in itself as to his level of demanding control.

However, as it turned out for me in the end of things - Nudism Became one of my main escapes in life to free thinking and self-awareness - both of which are core values to being/becoming a Strong person.

Nudism is Much more than just being nude, living nude - developing the ability to truly enact with others on a level that is hard to find in the textile world. EACH of you know this and can/do look back on your own experiences and growth. We are generally open to new ways of thinking about things, alternative, not-traditional, ways of life; of careers - decision making therein, even political, etc. And, a Key to us as a group - we can discuss concepts with others in such a way that we may, or may Not, necessarily agree with. But we are open to listen, to maybe learn from their arguments of difference - maybe even change Our ways of looking at the issue. Likewise, They may come to understand, and learn, maybe change their ways of considering the subject.

Nudism is More than just living nude!

Btw Logan - glad you had to opportunity in the past to visit Star Ranch in McDade. The management and the members were always great to work with and engage with, and am sure they still are even with their growth and facilities improvements - but I think I would miss the rustic aspects of the natural surroundings in the past - a very quiet, the slow pace of what was. Star Ranch has a great reputation and history in Texas.

Boomer, I really appreciate your comment:"Nudism is More than just living nude! "

I had always enjoyed opportunities to shed my clothes in private settings, particularly when I found myself at a secluded lake or river on a summer day.
It is almost like asking why you would keep your underpants and tee shirt on while taking a shower. You could, but it would be an odd and inefficient way of washing up.

I have always been far enough off the beaten path that people didn't walk up on me. Well there was one occasion on a class trip, but I simply stayed underwater and the water was almost fully opaque. It was a couple of friends of mine who walked up and I simply said, "I'll be done bathing in a little while, please give me just a couple more minutes. They said, "Sure, we'll be back later" and that was the end of the story.

Back to your comment, I initially started visiting nudist places because it seemed like the safest way to practice my enjoyment of outdoor nudity. But soon I was thoroughly charmed by the tremendous community of friendly supportive people. Several of the people at the campground I tend to visit are Christian and their support was especially important.

My work took me far from home and I was delighted to join in local nudist events while I was in that part of the country. It's amazing how quickly you can plug into a nudist community. I hated saying goodbye to my new friends when the project ended and I returned to my hometown.

Although being single isn't always the easiest situation for a guy at a nudist venue, it does seem that God always helped me make friends, some of them single women.

As for the families that struggle to get their kids to remain involved in home nudity, it seems to boil down to a lack of consistent participation of the family in the nudist community. Unless you have nudist friends with kids their age, an annual trip to a nudist resort or campground may not be enough to reinforce your values.

I met one couple, a pastor and his wife who came from another state to our campground because they were afraid of being outed as nudists. And they didn't even tell their kids because they were afraid of them accidentally spilling the beans. Imagine that! They would rather their children never know about something so wholesome and natural.
I know that if it ever got out about nudism there would be consequences, but there are also consequences for living a secret life and teaching shame about the body when you secretly believe that the body is good in its natural state.

There is not adequate space to get into all that right now, but I was profoundly sad for this couple and their kids. I saw so many children both in my travels and close to home who loved their time of freedom that I know that most families can include their children in the nudist community.

Ramblinman - Appreciate for your response. Totally agree. I will write my reply to yours a little later when I have a bit more time in a day or two. A little under the weather today.

Now a few comments Ramblinman...

The first time I actually visited a nudist camp I was a single. It was at Star Ranch, McDade, Tx. I contacted them ahead of time and requested permission to visit as a single, which after a couple of times communicating with them, I received. That first visit, and extremely friendly reception, was Everything I had hoped for and more. Guess I did not have a real conception of what to even expect.

Almost equal to the initial surprise of 'what it "feels" like' being Nude amongst a hundred people of both sexes and all ages, was the level of openness of accepting they were - no false fronts/motives. And, the ability to be able to sit in the shade, or sun, and talk/laugh with others Without having to be judged/or judge based upon one's position in life or job, etc. Those things simply made No difference! THAT is such a Freeing concept and privilege. So rare. ...but it is also an experience that was repeated time after time from one nudist camp to another, and another. It is part of what is unique and continues to draw us all back year after year.

I would have become an active member of a nudist group many years before my first time actually doing so if I had not been in the service. From age 18 - 26 I was in the USAF and held a high-level security clearance which if it had become known that I was a nudist that would have become grounds for losing my clearance. Strange but true, and highly likely even today. ...Why? They consider almost anything that is 'out of the ordinary' to be a potential risk - mostly a risk of that information being possibly used against you in the form of threats of informing your family, friends, jobs, etc. that you are a participate in a lifestyle that is not always understood or accepted - i.e. ..to family. Guess that still exists not only in the world of security but just plain old everyday life that we often have to deal daily. Sad. ...but it seems to be getting less so than in the past, at least headed in the right direction.

You mentioned how amazingly easy it is to be able to quickly 'plug-in' to a new nudist group/location as you travel around the country. I too have found that to be so in most cases. I have visited probably five locations in Texas, 2 in Kansas, 2 in Oklahoma, and a Travel Club in Oklahoma. All had the Welcome Mat out from the very beginning with smiles and Come Join the fun.

It is sometimes a struggle to get kids to remain active with the nudism involvement. They have many new things in their lives as they grow and move from one point in their development and activities to another. Each with their own needs drawing upon their time and priorities. It is Most likely to be those who were raised within a family who had consistent participation throughout the years in the naturalist environment.

Your example of the pastor and his wife was a bit of a sad one. Glad the pastor and his wife could manage to share the nudism experience, but it could have been so much more if they had been able to open up to their children and given them opportunity to share it likewise.