Privacy

My children are at different stages of privacy at their current ages.   Up until recently neither of them particularly cared if they were clothed or naked and if anyone saw them.  My son’s started to have opinions about who and when people can see him naked.

He’s inconsistent about it, forgetting a lot of the time that he’s gotten body conscious and running pell mell into the bedroom to jump up and down on the bed while he does power ranger poses watching himself in the mirror, unconcerned about his naked body.    Other times he yells, “privacy!” and tries to hide behind a bed or chair to change or get dressed.  

On the trip home from Myrtle Beach we had to get the children into pajamas and he nearly had a fit that the car door was open and two men twenty parking spots away who were smoking were looking through my husband’s body as he blocked the door.   How my son got his clothes on while he tried to hide on the floor is beyond me, but he managed it eventually.  

My daughter on the other hand hasn’t gotten to the naked privacy stage yet.   This evening she wanted to wash off the chalk on the driveway.   After some time with a hose she had cleaned off the chalk and thoroughly wet herself entire body in the process.   I had a towel at the front door.    While she got undressed just inside the door I asked if the water had been turned off to the hose.  

She said no, so I went out to roll up the hose and turn off the water at the valve.   I turned around to see her completely naked behind me with her towel stretched out in cape fashion.   She asked me if I needed help and dropped the towel so she could assist.  

I’m wondering if my daughter will start to care about who “sees” her naked.   She can’t see other people naked, will she care if they see her?

The Big Boy Update:  This weekend I saw my son dash into the bedroom with his headphones on.   He’d seen my husband’s noise-cancelling headphones on the bed which he only uses when we’re out of town.   Apparently my son had an idea because he grabbed his sister’s headphones, his father’s headphones and ran out of the room with all three, saying, “I’m going to make a super headphones!”

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:   My daughter gave Uncle Jonathan one of her hair ties a while back.   Uncle Jonathan told me today he wore her hair tie in the Chicago marathon.   I didn’t realize this but he told me, “That hair tie has now run Rock N Roll Raleigh, NY, and Chicago. Hopefully in April Boston. It will have been on all 3 U.S. majors!”   Wow.   Seriously, wow.   I don’t think my daughter is old enough to appreciate how cool her hair tie has now become, thanks to her favorite Uncle Jonathan.