This is what I see out of every window in the back of our house. Out the sliding door, the kitchen window, the large dining room window and the kids' windows. It's not bad, we have space between us and the next house. There is a drainage canal between our fence and the people behind us, so there's space. I know it's small, but if you click on the picture it will get bigger for your viewing needs.
On any given day I might be innocently doing my kitchen chores and look out the window to see "The Naked Fat Kid". He has got to be at least 4. And he weighs a lot...like 50 pounds. I have no problem with the weight, but I don't like to see it un-clothed. This kid rolls around in the grass with the HUGE St. Bernard (You can see him in the pic), or rides his little red tricycle or runs around. ALL in the nude. I haven't seen him jump on the trampoline yet. I hope I never do. It's really weird. The mom is out there with him all the time, yelling at him about this or that. But she is there. And what's even weirder (apparently that IS a word because my spell check didn't flag it) is that I started seeing this kid naked in January. I know we have warm days in the winter here in Colorado, but even when it was only 45 or 50 degrees.
So, since I'm going to be here for a while, do I just deal with it or do I try and do something about it? Zach actually came in the other day and said "That naked kid is out there again." Now sometimes he has clothes on. But at least a few times a week he doesn't. What if he is in Zach's class at school next year?
It's just weird. I don't think it's NORMAL to let your kid run around like that when people can see. It's not like they live in a particularly sheltered area. He is just out there for all to gaze at.
Tell me your thoughts.
PS I DID NOT photograph The Naked Kid in action, cause that's just weird. But it is pretty funny to see. :)
11 comments:
College days, BYU circa early 1980. Two very poor students, married Dec '79... curtains in front LR & Kit hung on batons, think the back bedroom curtains were some sheer white material thumb tacked up. We were behaving as newlyweds would that semester and the 1 1/2 years living there. The girls from the apartment complex behind us (a parking lot & 6' fence between our single story 4-plex and their 3 story building) left a note on the door complaining about the "view." So I walked over there one night and concluded that our window represented less than 5% of their overall view and left them a note that they didn't have to look in our window even when gazing in that direction. And yes, we kept the light off more often after that.
So two things. First, regardless of your or my opinion of the matter, nudity is actually legal both in Aurora and Denver. It would especially be so within one's own property and when surrounded by a 6 foot fence. What isn't legal, so close to school, is nudity which can be identified as for the purpose of exposing oneself to children. That is, if you go to city park (with your kids) you may see nude sunbathing and even nude jogging. It's legal. Jogging in the buff next to a DPS school or by school buses at the zoo isn't.
In any case, you'd be hard pressed to charge a child with exposing themselves to other children when within their own property. Arguably the adults there could sunbathe in their yard sans clothing. You'd also lose credibility as you/city have removed vegetation along your fence which would have helped obstruct this view.
That said, secondly, you don't have to look -- especially given you have an idea of what you might be offended to see.
However, you could leave them a note to the effect that your entire family enjoys looking upon the physique of their boy and are considering a YouTube video
:) Thank you for explaining your opinion so fully.
Ok, that's a good idea if I decide to do anything, a note was as far as I was going to go anyway. :)
Ellen, that is just WAY TOO FUNNY! Think about how dull life would be in you wrote a note and the kid stopped going around naked. I know it's quite the dilemma for you. If Zach, now, ever asks if he can go outside naked then I might chime up. But perhaps this boy acts more normal at home when he has naked time out side...? Who knows! Great story. I want to see this kid in action!
Somehow I hear track of "Born Free" playing in the background.
Bwahahaha!!!!
Okay, so we always let A* run around naked in THE SUMMER in the backyard when she was like one and two. It's how we potty trained her, long story. BUT, four years old is too old for me to let my kids run around naked. If it really bothers you you could leave a note, just know that since they are your neighbors they can and perhaps will make your life h.e.l.l. if they choose to, if they feel offended. If it were me, I'd just try to ignore it, but I hate confrontaion with naked-fat-kid-loving people.
Also, when I first looked at that picture, I thought the dog was a goat and that you were being clever, blogging about a naked "kid" as in a goat, and that you thought it was weird your neighbors had a goat. But I'm not sure which scenerio is weirder; a goat in the yard or a naked fat kid.
anyway, thanks for making me smile!
I don't know you, Olivia- but you made me laugh out loud!! Oh my goodness, Ellen, that is not cool! I am sorry. I have no advice. Good luck. Let us know what happens!
We live in a strange, strange world. As long as Zack knows it's "wrong" to run around naked, which I know he does, I wouldn't worry about it too much. To each his own. Just try to ignore it, tell Zack to ignore it and hope the kid's natural discomfort with showing his body starts way early. Your FIL has a point - they aren't breaking the law. And Olivia is a crack up.
I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed that there's not a picture of the naked kid even though that would be wrong. I say run to Goodwill, buy a few pair of pants, and doorbell ditch them with a note that says, "Because this isn't freaking Woodstock, and because your son might be in my son's class someday, and I want him to be fully clothed when that happens."
Love Vern's suggestion. She's onto something. But you might have to do some altering (sewing) to find pants of the right length, but the necessary girth. And perhaps, that is the problem to begin with. Share your seamstress talents and maybe the problem is solved.
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