The naked city

Don’t freak out your kid
Tesorina Chen, mother of a two-year-old in Long Island City, says it’s not just buttinsky strangers she worries about, but menacing ones: “I grew up in Panama, where I climbed trees shoeless and played baseball with strangers in the park, so I don’t think [going naked] should be an issue,” says Chen, “It’s sad, but nowadays I’m scared of perverts—you just don’t know who’s out there.”

Levkoff urges parents not to let the news media inspire too much panic: “You can’t live your life in fear of the man in the bushes,” she cautions, “especially when you are in an environment with other kids and caregivers.” But if you do decide to keep your children from disrobing in a public place, she adds, the one thing you want to avoid is sending a message that there’s something wrong or shameful or dangerous about their bodies.

“Children don’t view their bodies in a sexual way, and that should be protected,” says Levkoff. “So even if you’re keeping your kid’s shirt on because you worry that some people will look at her in a weird way, you can make it about something else, like the sun being too strong.”