Showering with Kids?

It's fine. They've both seen penises before. :)

Look at some tribal people squatting about innocently in all their naked glory in an old National Geographic spread, and then ponder how we Westerners fuss over the naked body.

To address a response below: her two year old is noticing the differences! That's called education. There ARE differences between males and females, and what better way for kids to learn about them than to see the naked body. I never had to teach my kids anything, because it was all visible from a very early age. My boys knew about periods, etc. By the way, none of my kids is sexualized -- my oldest just got his first girlfriend at 21, and my 17 year old daughter and 16 year old son still don't date.

IDK? But my son, 4, and daughter, 3, still shower with either me or my husband. We have never made an issue of "pottys" so they don't really know to stare or make comments. A shower is a shower to us (and the kids). I will take my kids cues on when they are ready to shower on there own but I agree with other posters that each family is different with their comfort levels.

Good Luck!

Unless there is some reason to think that a mother or father could not be trusted (which I'm sure is not the case with your son's father) then I think it's fine for boys to shower with their dads and girls with their moms. Sometimes it's easier and faster for a parent to shower with a young child as well as a safety measure. Four, five, six and even seven year olds are still navigating their way around bathtubs and showers and often slip and have falls. I also thinks it's important not to create hang ups about the human body where there needn't be. If you know your son's in good, safe hands with his dad I would not worry about it all.

Heck... my whole family still showers together... especially at the beach where there are often 20+ cold/sandy people and one shower. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, grandkids. Nudity is just NOT a big deal in my family.

At home my 8yo son and I will share a shower. Not most of the time, but it's a practicality issue, not a moral issue. He usually bathes at a different time than me. That simple. But if we're in a rush in the morning and both need to shower, no big deal.

Different families and individuals (and whole cultures, actually) have differen comfort levels and expectations about nudity. It's generally fine until one of the parties begins to express discomfort with it, embarrassment, or a desire for more privacy. Sometimes that will be a parent, sometimes a child.

Asking questions is not a reason to stop co-bathing, in my opinion. I agree with Page that normal curiosity is simply a great way to teach about body parts, names, and even (in simple terms) functions, just as we'd answer questions about an elbow or belly button. There's no shame unless grownups put it there.

Not inappropriate at all - tubs and showers are slippery, so good to have an adult handy, and what better way to pick up good personal cleaning habits than from someone who has to clean all the same 'stuff'. = )
I'd not worry about it - it will stop when your son or his father find it inconvenient.

Meh, not a big deal. As long as your son knows how to respect his body and those of others, knows the good touch vs bad touch rules I don't think it's a big deal. My son is almost 6 and it's just easier sometimes to toss all the kids in the shower.

I don't think it's inappropriate at all for him to shower with his dad at that age. My 4 year old is still showering with me sometime although I'm trying to break him of it. I keep telling him one day he'll remember it and to trust me, he doesn't want to! Seriously -I figure over the next year or so he'll start not wanting to be around me when I'm naked, but dads and sons or mothers and daughters -who cares?

I think it is normal. Sometimes I still take a shower with my 8 year old daughter for convenience. Usually after we go swimming we jump in the shower together to get our hair washed out. It is not a big deal. However, my husband and daughter have not taken showers together since she was probably about 4 or 5. She started staring at his private parts and asking about them. Of course we explained the difference between a girl and boy to her at the time. But the showers together had to stop because it made my husband feel uncomfortable to have his daughter staring at him. I think it is ok for your ex and his son to take a shower together until it makes one of them feel uncomfortable.

We don't do that in our family but I think if it was that way since they were little then it's not too old.

Unless you think something inappropriate is happening, then let your son decide. I showered with my daughters for years. At first it was just easier to get them clean, then as they were learning to shampoo and condition their hair it was good to be in with them. Later on, we would follow each other through the shower to save time. They let me know when they no longer needed my help and when they decided they wanted privacy.

When and if your son decides he needs more privacy, he'll let you or son's father know. Saving water is a good thing. Every family makes their own choices on nudity. Nothing to be ashamed of, I was born naked! If kids notice or point something out that they see, what a great teachable moment.

Personally, I think that is too old. Our oldest just turned two, and we plan to stop showering with him very soon since he is now noticing the anatomical differences and becoming intrigued with them. I think it's different if they are taking a bath with a sibling v. adult. We plan on bathing the boys together until our oldest is around 6.

Neither my husband nor I ever showered with the kids. I don't feel it is appropriate (opinion). I taught them what needs to be done and checked them when younger and since age 7, they have been doing great on their own.

I would search the site for this question, there was one about this last week or the week before.

I think when he is uncomfortable with it it's time to stop. Follow your child's cues.

Well on a site called the skinny scoop I saw that majority of parents thought that age 6-7 was a good age for kids to start showering by themselves...hope it helps

http://www.theskinnyscoop.com/question/q/2248?utm_campaig...

Eh... I think 6 is a little old. I showered with my oldest girl once in while until she was about 5 and I shower daily with my little one who is about to be 3. It kills two birds with one stone and allows me to keep an eye on her.