‘My husband asked me to cover up in front of out teenage son’

"It seems like yesterday he was a baby and we were having baths together... I don't get what the big deal is," the mum says. 

As a mum of boys, it’s hard to know when the big shift should happen.

I’m talking about what age it’s appropriate for your kids to still see you naked.

I have three boys and up until recently, we only had one bathroom, and there was pretty much an unspoken open-door policy.

I still don’t think twice about going wee with the door open, my four-year-old still has showers with me.

With my eldest, who is 12, it’s clear: he feels private about his body, and also about my body, so he’s careful not to barge through any closed doors, but the nine-year-old will still come chat with me while I’m having a bath.

For Linda, the big shift never happened, and now that her son is 16, her husband wants to her to make a change.  

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Linda had always worn her undies around her kids. Photo: iStock

When should mums start covering up in front of sons?

“This morning, I was dressed in my underwear (bra and knickers) as I went to my kids’ rooms to get them up for church,” she said in a Reddit post.

“As I came out my hubby called me, speaking in hushed tones.

“He said that I have been dressing in underwear in front of the kids for too long but it’s time to stop, especially in front of our 16-year-old son.”

Linda didn’t think it was a big deal. She’d walked around the house in a bra and undies since the kids were born. “I’m quite comfortable,” she said.

But now that her husband has spoken up, she’s wondering if she’s being inappropriate or doing something wrong.

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Reddit weighs in on mum covering up in front of son

The consensus in the comments was that it was up to the family, and that when a kid wants to talk, nothing can stop them.

“I try to close doors when I’m changing or using the bathroom and my son (10) bursts in either way and does not care,” one mum said.

Another mum had a similar experience.

“I can't count the times my kids just barge right in when I'm on the toilet and they just start telling me a random story about their day or whatever, and I'm like, ‘Unless you're actually on fire and really can't find anyone else to put it out, do you mind giving me a little minute of privacy to pee in peace?’ And they're like ‘Oh right! You're on the toilet!’,” she said.

Another mum had a lovely memory.

“Even as a senior in high school my son would often read his speeches to me while I was in the shower,” another mum shared. “He said the shower sounds were calming and not being able to see my face reacting to his words made it easier to read it and wait for verbal feedback.”

Originally published as ‘My husband asked me to cover up in front of out teenage son’