How Old Is Too Old to Go Topless?

My youngest is 2yrs old and I wouldn't let her run around outside without a top on. However I think 2 or 3 would be that oldest that I would expect to see a little girl without a top.........So just to let you know you are NOT crazy.....

I don't think I cared about shirts til I started getting boobs and my girls probably won't either. My hubby may very well have different feelings though, which I will respect.

I am sorry, but I disagree with your opinion. 5-6yr is too young to have developed any mature anatomy, so I do not see any problem with how they are dressed for their own back yard. The primping and posing is not a sign of having witnessed inappropriate behavior either. These are actions that are common and appropriate for girls of that age bracket even without any inappropriate influences.

I am not sure how much stock you would put in statistics, but research has shown that children who are shielded from nudity and taught that viewing the naked body is "bad" tend to develope an unhealthy attitude toward their own bodies.
That being said, those are my and people's opinions... in the end, you need to decide what is best for you and your family.

If this a problem you cannot resolve within yourself, you might calmly discuss your issue with your neighbors, telling them that you are concerned about your son and ask that the girls wear shirts. You never know, the parents might agree with you and the problem will be solved!

Good Luck

My dd's five and six year old friends came over (sisters) and while playing dressup (inside) they were stripping down to their undies in my husband's home office! I was mortified and I mentioned it to their parents, who gave me a look like I was out of my miind.

My thought is this: There are sick people everywhere, why make it easy for them? I thought that the parents of dd's friends were taking a risk not teaching them to cover up around men they barely knew. Of course my husband is a decent man and father, but what if the guy in the next house they visit isn't?

As for their own back yard, I think that it is just plain better to cover up, or put up a privacy fence. I set the limit somewhere around 3-4 for back yard nudity.

My daughter is 5, almost 6 and there is NO FREAKING WAY I would let her run around topless. Not to mention the fact that there is no way she would be ok with it either. Personally, even when she was two I made sure she had at least a tank top on, maybe just a diaper, but also with a shirt.

I was frolicking topless until I was 10. Then again I hung around a lot of European kids, so that was considered totally normal. Plus I had the body of a 5yr old boy at that age. And I turned out pretty normal...

5-6 is still very young and it's ok to be topless in their own backyard, IMO. My oldest daughter is 9 and has already started developing tiny little breasts, so she's been covered up for a couple of years now. My 7yr old daughter could still get away with topless because she still has the body of a toddler (just much, much larger, of course), but she's uncomfortable being topless so it's a full bathing suit for her. I think once they start really noticing differences between boys and girls (which for us happened around 1st grade, right at about 6-7yrs old) they want to be more discreet themselves. Until then, let them enjoy the carefree attitudes of young children. The last thing we want is for them to get all uptight about the human body.

My daughter is 3 and we don't allow her to run around topless outside. This day in age there are too many weirdos and perverts, plus we decided early on we wanted to teach her modesty. I would be uncomfortable as well if she were posing and doing the things that you said. Even though at 5 or 6 her body isn't developed yet, I still think it's inappropriate. Kudos to you for being protective and for also instilling modesty in your kids! :-)

I guess I'm in the minority. I don't see that big of a deal with her being topless. She's in her own backyard and your son is WAY too young to understand what it means to be "topless" in the sense that you mean. Your son is boy. Boys run around with out shirts on all the time. I wouldn't let him in a store or anything, just because it's rude, but outside playing is perfectly fine.
My niece is 5 and she runs around with out a shirt on at home all the time. Not a biggie. Nakedness is what you make of it. If you teach your son to be comfortable around it, then he will be.

5 or 6 year old girl definately needs a shirt, especially when there is company.

I would not see a problem with it because they are in their backyard . If they were at the YMCA or running around the grocery store then maybe. Could the neighbor be having an attitude because your son was not invited over?

if they're in the backyard, what's the harm? my grandma used to let me play out in the sprinklers in her backyard shirtless until i was 8. after that i felt that it was ...weird. but they don't have anything to show for a couple years...so, no harm.

I too remember running around in just underwear but def not at 5. I think school age kids are starting to be taught what is appropriate and private by kindergarden. As I answered this I thought about my 4 year old god-daughter...def would not let her run around with a shirt...to say topless sounds obsene in itself lol. I wouldn't say anything, and your son isnt old enough to think anything of it. If she's making gestures or poses then I wouldnt allow him around her.

If they are just in the back yard, then no, it's no biggie. I wouldn't let my daughter go shirtless out front though.

No, I don't think you are crazy. My first thought was this is a little strange when I read your post. I think a 5-6 year old is too old to not have on a top. When my child is no longer considered a toddler I would put a top on her. Why not a little bikini top or something?

Where I live its very unusual to see a girl that age without a top on. I remember being very young (maybe that age) and running around the house without a top on but I think times have changed.

mine are 6 and have always had a one piece bathing suit. not because of not wanting them to go topless but because i am fearful of sun exposure. if i didn't have that fear i would allow a 5 year old to go topless as their bodies aren't girlie developed.
if you are uncomfortable then just reject their invites to the pool.

What I have seen from kids that have a certain attitude-it carries on into school too-the girls will be bossy and tempermental if they don't get their way. If the girls act like this at home then they will most likely do it at school and elsewhere. Worry about your children and teach them how you feel comfortable for it will also go with them where-ever they may be. Manners, polite actions and understanding that some others will not be like them-you might add some work on how to not be taken advantage of by others.

I don't see a problem with a 3 y/o boy being outside shirtless. My son is 10 y/o and he spends time outside shirtless. I just don't know about girls (I don't have any) and the topless idea? I am thinking maybe after they are 4-5 they shouldn't be unless they are in the privacy of their own backyards.

In this country there's no reason boys (from infancy to old age) can't go topless. Many, if not most, do. Hence the sign in many shops and restaurants "Shirt & Shoes Required". ((I always wondered as a child why they didn't insist on bottoms... but that's because bottoms are required in public for both sexes)) In our backyard the boys (my son and his friends from 5-12) are frequently skinny dipping ... and I remember it as one of my great joys (skinny dipping in my grandparent's pool... lol and then later of course).

I agree... nudity is what we make of it. And it's totally cultural. I've been in places where showing my ankles is like doing a strip tease, and others where I can walk around sans shirt and bra but my THIGHS had BETTER be covered. In this country, girls cover their breasts... and we bump it younger in public... although bikini's on prepubescent girls crack me up. Do the parents GLUE them on? What is there keeping them in place? Come to think of it... most of the time there's nipple showing. Adult women, though, in this country/culture can wear sports bras and no shirt to run, and bikini's. So in their own back yard... eh... no biggie.

As far as the primping... rofl... have you watched any disney cartoons? Look at Jasmine in Alladin, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, Ariel and her sisters in the Little Mermaid. Talk about strut, sway, and seduce!!!

I actually remember the day I wanted to put on a shirt when we had a visitor (I too lived in the country - no neighbors around). I felt fine around my brothers, but by 5 I wanted my shirt on.

My Mom didn't care either way, as I remember it. :)

I'd say, it's kind of up to the kids, the parents, and what's going on in the neighborhood. If you feel uncomfortable, then you should do something about it.

J.

Nudity is a big deal if you make it one. People need to have a heathy attitude about their body and the bodies of others. Going topless (male or female) at any age is a way of life in many countries. Here in the States, we have so many hang-ups on things that are not important and we ignore important issues.

For me, I don't think 6 years old is too old to be topless in your own backyard (even if your yard is shared with neighbors). However, if her behavior while she is topless makes you uncomfortable, then you shouldn't have your son around her.
Would it have bothered you if she'd been posing but had a shirt or bathing suit top on?

if it's in their own back yard, I don't see anything wrong with it. My daughter is 5 and we live in a condo so we don't have a yard to do that kind of thing, but if I lived in a house with a yard, and it's hot out, then I would let her do it in the back, but not out front