A Little Innocent(?) Fun

[Miles]

I came across the following account on another site and thought it worth passing along for your opinion.


"Where I grew up there were a couple lakes within a 20 minute drive. On the end of one of these lakes was a small embayment set apart from the main lake by a sandy bar overgrown by vegetation. It was difficult for those on the lake proper to see into the bay. Known as Bare A_ _ Beach, quite a few of those in my high school class--and in other classes as well-- both males and females, would go skinny dipping together. Misbehavior was never a problem. If some new guy had trouble controlling his reaction to it all he was simply told to go take care of it before rejoining the group. Seldom was there more than a dozen of us at any one time, and surprisingly, fairly well divided between the sexes. In all, I would guess that maybe 30-40 different kids hung out there each summer.

It was a very liberating (we all thought we were kind of cool) and a very innocent pastime (not that a new visitor wasn't given the "once over") and, in an odd way, kind of bonded us together. This never created any kind of clique, nor did any high school clique ever dominate the beach. It was a very strange and almost eclectic mix of kids, some of whom initially came solo and then developed new friendships. Although the water was warm, the late summer algae made it a little repulsive to swim in, so almost all our time was spent either sunbathing or throwing a Frisbee around.

This isn't to say people didn't pair up and occasionally engage in a little kissy-face, but that's all the further it went. The school was well aware of the beach and what went on, as were the local police. The school officially condemned the beach. Each spring we would get a warning that it was off limits--I still don't know how they felt it was within their jurisdiction. And the local police would make an occasional "raid" on it and make everyone put on their clothes and leave. No arrests were ever made.


So, what do you think? Think such behavior is acceptable?

[McCulloch]

So, what do you think? Think such behavior is acceptable?

Acceptable to whom?
It would have been quite acceptable to me, both when I was in high school and as a parent of High School students.

[Miles]

So, what do you think? Think such behavior is acceptable?

Acceptable to whom?

Whoever reads this.

It would have been quite acceptable to me, both when I was in high school and as a parent of High School students.

So you wouldn't mind your sixteen year old daughter sunning herself naked in a mixed group of other high school age kids. Interesting. I might have reservations about it.

[McCulloch]

So you wouldn't mind your sixteen year old daughter sunning herself naked in a mixed group of other high school age kids. Interesting. I might have reservations about it.

Here's a news flash. She's probably either had sex or is going to have sex within a few years. I am enough of a realist that I don't pretend that the current generation is any different from the few hundred generations that preceded it.

[JoeyKnothead]

I have no objection to folks doing those harmless acts that amuse them.

I would be a hypocrite if I didn't admit to doing some skinny dipping of my own, or skinny water skiing (on a dare), or playing strip poker with the libien couple up the road, or passing out nekkid while drunk, or mooning the school bus, or peeing off one of the porches, or pulling a girl's shirt up / britches down to take a gander.

Nekkid is fun.

[elle]

I don't think that nudism is wrong. That being said, I don't think I would have felt comfortable participating in this environment and I wouldn't trust my child to participate in this type of environment. It does not matter to me that she will have sex in a few years if she hasn't already. That doesn't mean I want to encourage her or support her in taking her clothes of in front of strangers.

[realthinker]

I came across the following account on another site and thought it worth passing along for your opinion.


"Where I grew up there were a couple lakes within a 20 minute drive. On the end of one of these lakes was a small embayment set apart from the main lake by a sandy bar overgrown by vegetation. It was difficult for those on the lake proper to see into the bay. Known as Bare A_ _ Beach, quite a few of those in my high school class--and in other classes as well-- both males and females, would go skinny dipping together. Misbehavior was never a problem. If some new guy had trouble controlling his reaction to it all he was simply told to go take care of it before rejoining the group. Seldom was there more than a dozen of us at any one time, and surprisingly, fairly well divided between the sexes. In all, I would guess that maybe 30-40 different kids hung out there each summer.

It was a very liberating (we all thought we were kind of cool) and a very innocent pastime (not that a new visitor wasn't given the "once over") and, in an odd way, kind of bonded us together. This never created any kind of clique, nor did any high school clique ever dominate the beach. It was a very strange and almost eclectic mix of kids, some of whom initially came solo and then developed new friendships. Although the water was warm, the late summer algae made it a little repulsive to swim in, so almost all our time was spent either sunbathing or throwing a Frisbee around.

This isn't to say people didn't pair up and occasionally engage in a little kissy-face, but that's all the further it went. The school was well aware of the beach and what went on, as were the local police. The school officially condemned the beach. Each spring we would get a warning that it was off limits--I still don't know how they felt it was within their jurisdiction. And the local police would make an occasional "raid" on it and make everyone put on their clothes and leave. No arrests were ever made.


So, what do you think? Think such behavior is acceptable?

My children are still about 5-10 years from that age yet, but I like to think I'd treat it like I do every other potentially unwise thing they might do. I simply ask, preferably before they get too far into it, "What do you think is going to happen next? How do you think this might go wrong? How are you going to keep that from happening? How are you going to fix it when it does?"

For the record, it's worked when Brian wanted to lower the cat off the deck on an umbrella tied to a rope. It didn't work when he wanted to light six sparklers at once and he dropped them into a box of other fireworks when it got too bright and too hot to hold onto. It worked with Ellen when she wanted to ride the wagon down the hill behind the house. It didn't when she wanted to give the cat a bubble bath.

What I've seen though is that they're starting to ask those questions for themselves. They're smart kids. If they're in the habit of asking those questions they'll stay out of most trouble.