Do I Look Good Naked?
Long before children, I slept naked. There. I admitted something personal on the Internet. I'll blame the sleeping habit on my husband. He chose the nude as sleeping attire, curious if it would be as freeing as he claimed, I gave it a shot. Surprisingly, I too loved it. That is, until the children were born. And I was getting up at all hours of the night to nurse (my son born at the end of November, close to the dead of winter). I soon gave up the habit. But this isn't about me...
Last week I read Anna Johnson's THE YUMMY MUMMY MANIFESTO. She's all about choosing your own parenting style and a little bit of nakedness. Sometimes in the rain. What does this have to do with me and my old sleeping habits? Not a whole helluva lot--except maybe if I was a bit more free-living, I'd enjoy being naked more. Or say I lost a good 50 lbs. Though I must say, still nursing, I just don't wear a shirt half the time anymore. It's easier. At least when I am at home.
Anyway, this has to do with The Peanut, my daughter. We, as Americans, have this thing with changing diapers and then putting kids in clothing. Whether just a onsie or wrapping in a blanket or whatever. I admit, my kids naked a whole 30 minutes for bath time and then I slap on a diaper and some sorta of clothing. Mostly because I don't want her peeing (or worse shitting) all over the joint. And, of course, I don't want her to freeze her ass of in the post-bath wetness.
Today? Today, I let the kid crawl, scoot, sit, do whatever a 10-month-old does for over an hour completely naked. Did I worry she would piss all over? Hell yeah. But at the same time... she laughed herself silly when she held onto her Elmo stuffed animal and the fur rubbed her belly. She clapped (and clapped and clapped) when she accidentally smacked her hand on that same bare belly. And hell if she didn't crawl for a bit and then stop after she felt a bit of the wind on her ass. It was hilarious to watch. And just a joy to watch her be free.
Not exactly sure what she was free from--other than her clothing. But I realized, when trying to wrestler her back into her clothes (and it really was a wrestling match full of yelling, crying, kicking, and a few wiggles free), that she loved it. I loved watching her with no reservations--and that is a good thing. Especially, since if I really think about it. I'm not naked more often for the obvious reasons--open windows, children running amok in the house--but also because I am not exactly comfortable with my naked self. And I'll be damned, I should really start working on that.
Last week I read Anna Johnson's THE YUMMY MUMMY MANIFESTO. She's all about choosing your own parenting style and a little bit of nakedness. Sometimes in the rain. What does this have to do with me and my old sleeping habits? Not a whole helluva lot--except maybe if I was a bit more free-living, I'd enjoy being naked more. Or say I lost a good 50 lbs. Though I must say, still nursing, I just don't wear a shirt half the time anymore. It's easier. At least when I am at home.Anyway, this has to do with The Peanut, my daughter. We, as Americans, have this thing with changing diapers and then putting kids in clothing. Whether just a onsie or wrapping in a blanket or whatever. I admit, my kids naked a whole 30 minutes for bath time and then I slap on a diaper and some sorta of clothing. Mostly because I don't want her peeing (or worse shitting) all over the joint. And, of course, I don't want her to freeze her ass of in the post-bath wetness.
Today? Today, I let the kid crawl, scoot, sit, do whatever a 10-month-old does for over an hour completely naked. Did I worry she would piss all over? Hell yeah. But at the same time... she laughed herself silly when she held onto her Elmo stuffed animal and the fur rubbed her belly. She clapped (and clapped and clapped) when she accidentally smacked her hand on that same bare belly. And hell if she didn't crawl for a bit and then stop after she felt a bit of the wind on her ass. It was hilarious to watch. And just a joy to watch her be free.
Not exactly sure what she was free from--other than her clothing. But I realized, when trying to wrestler her back into her clothes (and it really was a wrestling match full of yelling, crying, kicking, and a few wiggles free), that she loved it. I loved watching her with no reservations--and that is a good thing. Especially, since if I really think about it. I'm not naked more often for the obvious reasons--open windows, children running amok in the house--but also because I am not exactly comfortable with my naked self. And I'll be damned, I should really start working on that.
Labels: books, life, me, reading, The Peanut
