Dear Hester: How do I tell my family that I seem to have become a nudist?

Dear Hester: How do I tell my family that I seem to have become a nudist?

Not long after I moved in with Corey he told me that he wanted to be naked most of the time we’re together. I wasn’t really shocked by that, since we’re used to seeing each other naked. But I didn’t actually know nudity was so important to him. He doesn’t call himself a “nudist” or “naturist”, but I didn’t know until then that he’d wanted for some time to stop wearing clothes as much as possible.


My first experience being openly naked outside where I lived was when we went on hiking and camping trips where we’re both naked most of the time. I was OK with that as long as it was somewhere we were very unlikely to be seen. Then we started going to a nude beach. At first, I was very hesitant about getting naked at the beach, but I gradually got fairly used to it. It kind of surprised me to find how natural being naked in situations like that started to feel.

Corey by then, of course, was naked most of the time in our apartment, and I often didn’t wear anything either as long as it was just the two of us. For a while, I drew the line at being naked in the apartment when neighbors or friends were present. I was surprised how soon none of those people seemed to mind that Corey was naked, and just accepted that was normal for him. So eventually I gave in and started wearing little or nothing myself – and found I enjoyed that almost as much as Corey did!

So I cautiously started being naked when we went to visit friends of his. They had no problem with our nudity, because they knew it’s what Corey enjoyed. I even let Corey talk me into leaving the apartment as naked as he was on visits like that. Fortunately, most others living near us were used to our nudity by then. And our parking space wasn’t visible from the street.

Before long I got up the courage to visit my own friends or go to some parties naked with Corey. And most everyone thought that was OK. I guess we’re lucky to have such tolerant friends. Some even praised my “bravery” or said they admired my apparent lack of fear about being naked. But what surprised me the most was that I started looking forward to socializing naked!

My big problem now is that my parents know my relationship with Corey has become pretty serious. I’ve described him to them in very positive terms. So they’re eager for us to visit in order to meet him. We live pretty far away from my parents and any other relatives, so none of them have any idea that both Corey and I are so enthusiastic about nudity. Although my parents aren’t religious people, they live in a conservative part of the country, and they might be quite upset that their only daughter has become an avid nudist.

What should I do?

Kayden

Dear Kayden:

Clearly, you and Corey are enjoying your nudist lifestyle. So you should definitely find a way to let your parents know this if your relationship with them is important.

I know little about nudism myself, but I don’t believe there’s anything “wrong” or “immoral” about it. I do know some people who’re nudists, and they seem to be fine people. I try not to be judgmental about things before I become better informed. If your parents feel the same way, there shouldn’t be major problems. However, I know much less about your family than you do.

The first thing you should do is try to find out as much as you can about your parents’ opinions regarding nudism. Perhaps you could find some reason to bring up nudism in a general way. For instance, you could say you’ve read an interesting article about nudism and wonder what your parents think of it. Or you could say you have a friend who’s interested in nudism and wonder whether to worry about that.

Hopefully, you’ll find your parents don’t have serious reservations about nudism, or don’t feel they know enough about it to form a definite opinion. Then you could mention that you and Corey have enjoyed hiking or camping trips where you were both naked at times. As long as you continue revealing more about the role of nudity in your relationship and you don’t encounter serious objections, the chances are good they’ll accept your interest in nudism.

But what if either or both of your parents seem to disapprove? At that point, you’ll have to decide whether to make a strong positive case for nudism if you think they’ll eventually accept your preference in spite of their reservations. If that doesn’t seem likely to work, you may need to just agree to disagree and say you hope they’ll be more accepting someday. Then maybe you can identify others in your family or mutual friends of you and your parents who might support your interest in nudism.

Just keep this in mind: you’re an adult. Even if your parents resist generally approving, you have every right to choose that lifestyle. Apparently, your parents have accepted your and Corey’s relationship. So I think the chances are good they’ll also accept your enthusiasm for nudism – even if they don’t fully understand your reasons.

Good luck!

Hester