Thursday, June 23, 2011

"Ye will not suffer your children that they go naked."

Dressing my three year-old has become a full-time job. Yet, in spite of the excessive amount of time I spend dressing him, he is always naked.  Searching the house and yard for discarded, size T3 clothing is another time-consuming new hobby of mine.

Part of the problem is that summer has finally arrived and nudity just makes sense to a three year-old suffering in hot weather.  Potty training is another issue.  My son believes he cannot use the potty without removing all of his clothing, and once he has shedded it, he sees no reason to put it back on.

A few weeks ago, he disappeared at the library.  I frantically searched for him until he reappeared, in the nude, at this extremely public venue.  He had gone to use the restroom by himself and left his clothing behind when he finished.  I cracked the door open and loudly announced that I was coming in before searching the men's restroom for my son's clothes.

Long ago, when I was a naive 21 year-old missionary in the extremely hot and humid island nation of the Dominican Republic, I once suggested to a new convert that she should start dressing her sons, who ranged in age from 1 to 8 and rarely wore clothes.  Later, I regretted my ethnocentric imposition of the modesty standards of my colder and wealthier homeland on this poor Dominican family.  Now my regret is even greater, as I realize how challenging keeping one's children dressed can be.

I'm sorry, people of the universe.  I don't care anymore if your kids are naked.  Mine is.

1 comment:

  1. fMh Janet noted that a few weeks ago her 2 year-old son was at a neighbor's place at a High School Graduation Party, and heard laughter there rise sharply. Her son had dropped his pants & shorts, and was peeing in the vegetable garden there in full view of everyone.

    At least it didn't get that bad with my children.

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