Dana Carvey is one of my favorite comedians. In one of his HBO specials, he did a skit about his two sons, Tom and Dex, who get some time every day for "Naked Time." During naked time, the boys get to run around the house without any clothes and just enjoy their nakedness. It's a hilarious skit.
I was babysitting my triplet nieces again last week while my bro and sis-in-law continue to find a new nanny for the girls. Here they are in their new winter hats. I mentioned Naked Time to my sister-in-law, and she thought it was a cool idea so while I was there, we gave the girls about 10 minutes of naked time between changing from day clothes to beddy-bye time clothes.
It was hysterical. We stripped of all their clothes but left their diapers on cause you don't want any stray pees or poops to escape, and boy, let the bliss begin. All three of the girls just started screaming in absolute glee. They were in rapture. Freeing them from their clothes was like freeing employees from a bad boss. There was jumping, giggling, and doing the naked time jig. The absolute joy in their faces was precious.
As I sat there watching them enjoy their naked time, I started to think about how we as adults simply dread any kind of naked time or even bathing suit time. At some point, we grow up and the innocence and bliss of enjoying our bodies disappears. I thought to myself "You baby girls better enjoy your naked time now because there will come a time when it will stop." How cynical is that?
I told my best friend about my nieces and their naked time, and she told me that her niece and nephew enjoy the same thing. We started talking about at what point does innocent naked time become simply pervy, odd, or weird. Not that there aren't people who do this, but I don't know any adults who take time and just enjoy their bodies without any clothes without doing anything sexual, but just being.
As I watched my nieces continue to groove on their bare skin, I thought that there was much for me to learn here. We adults really can learn so much through the actions of kids. I would love to be able to get to the point where I can be stark naked and feel delightful, or even some kind of splendidness.
