Communicating and connecting together as families is also of great help. We may be many miles away from RnR but we have still been able to meet up as two families at a couple of beaches in Cornwall and at an event in Wales - and this has given us some positive family times.
This is why we feel the social aspect of places like ANW is so valuable. When there are no organised family events on offer we can create our own, even if it is just a picnic on a beach. And that goes for couples and singles too! We can get proactive about creating small meet ups through ANW without anyone telling you that you should only meet through paid events. Naturism is about people - and that should come first - our national bodies should see that by encouraging a great connection to naturism then they are also encouraging more members to join them and more people to want to take part in their events. They should not be afraid of seeing naturism grow when it doesn't involve supporting their organised events - and I feel that is currently a massive failing on their behalf. All naturist growth is good for them, especially when it encourages the future growth of naturism represented by children.
Going back to other aspects of this topic. One of the things we found was that by allowing our children to be relaxed about nudity it left them feeling so much more comfortable, happy and relaxed as toddlers, and that is something they still appreciate. Part of the comfort had a knock on effect on toilet training. Our boys became connected with the body at an early age and it meant they got out of nappies very young, during the day and at night, and environmentally we used a lot less nappies, wipes and clothes. As soon as our boys were able to walk they would take themselves to the bathroom - we would go with them to help - as they didn't want to do things on the floor. We also often left the back door open and they would go outside on their own and go up a tree! We would watch to ensure they were safe, but basically leave them to it. They would not have been able to do this if dressed or in nappies, and modern nappies are designed to ensure they have no discomfort, so they simply don't care if they use them, so they become removed from the whole thing so the learning curve is lengthened. I remember different times when we were on car journeys on the motorway before the specific child was two and we would be saying that it is OK to go in the nappy but they would not want to and would hang on until we were able to find a place to park for a bit.
It's a shame to hear about the clubs and beaches in the UK, especially when you hear about places like Bare Oaks in Canada - I have never visited but heard they have a great space which supports family naturism and is popular, hopefully more places will be able to follow their model - https://www.bareoaks.ca/about-naturism/
There is a terrible irony in the UK at the moment, and maybe it is elsewhere too.
An increasing amount of people seem to be happy to be open about sexualised sharing, nudity with an "adult" theme and wearing their sexuality like a badge. This is even infiltrating naturism with events that have a blurring of behaviour and attitudes, an obsession with genders, lots of inuendo style posts in social media, an increasing amount of adult only events and venues, adult party and entertainment style get togethers - watching drag acts, going to venues that are called "Flirt" - with our national body promoting it with lines like It is time to flirt again, and nationally organised events that don't even carry the word naturism in their description and website. All edging us away from naturism as we know it.
Meanwhile family naturism is becoming increasingly rare and when it exists it is treated like a hidden society. Whilst we seem very happy to promote adult only, female only and sexual orientation based events and meet-ups similar and rarer family meet ups are hidden with a guilt-like shame. Similarly those that promote naturism to women, adults and LGBTQ are praised as heroes, but those doing a similar job for families are treated like they do not exist and appear to be given no praise, thanks or accolade - at least non that we can see beyond the wall of the inner circle of naturism in the UK. We should be promoting naturism to everyone - that should include women and LGBTQ by default - but by only promoting to certain aspect of our society we are clearly ignoring others and this is very much evident with naturism's lack of promotion of naturism to families.
So any families out there, and any family experiences are hidden away so that as far as the average naturist is concerned, and the world beyond naturism is concerned: there simply isn't anything happening for families, families don't really exist and naturism isn't really a life choice for families. So although we may hear through the grapevine that a handful of families did something positive together it is so hidden away and secretive that it will never encourage a growth of families in naturism within the UK.
When you consider how happy naturism in the UK has become at promoting nudity (as the word naturism seems to be something else we need to hide) that is aimed purely at adults with a sexualised theme (not sexual sharing theme but still placing a great important on sexuality and adult entertainment) it is hardly surprising there is a discomfort to also promote proper naturism to families. The two ideas don't mix. If naturism in the UK continues to blur the edges and move away from families we have a very bleak future ahead of us (even if it is profitable and attractive to a very small minority).
Any family considering naturism with the UK current climate would find it very hard to believe that there is any point to them becoming naturists. Even if they do not believe it is a sexualised environment they will see nothing openly suggesting that naturism has anything to offer families. It is a very sad situation and with every step in the wrong direction it is getting harder to come back.
Yet in reality genuine naturism is exactly what the modern family needs to help them positively navigate through the crazy world of today. A place of sanity, logic and healthy social interactions. That is why we feel traditional naturist environments offering communities is so important : https://anaturistworld.com/article/the-importance-of-naturist-clubs
We need to encourage parents to get involved and to introduce their children to naturism .
It would be interesting to hear if you believe the issues I mention above are a growing problem in your home country too.
at September 22, 2025 10:40 AM BST 
The way we see it, nature is all encompassing, meaning, every hill, dale fell, field, woodland, and all the life contained within them. So, if naturism, is a state of being at one with all of the above, then naturism should embrace every aspect of humanity. The circle of life starts at birth, grows through maturity, and then eventually old age and death, just as the seed becomes the plant which produces the flower, then new seed, followed by death. Everything is part of nature, and so everything should play its part in naturism.
We live as one with all things in our natural state, and yet currently we see an obsession based around isolating and segregating differing groups and placing them in positions of entitlement depending on their gender or coupling, and for us it appears to go against what we see as our core values and principals of what we feel naturism was, and should be again.
In every aspect of human existence, the family has been placed at the heart of all aspects of life, and yet today within naturism that appears to be no longer the case.
The female as a mother form, has historically always been seen as sacred, because it is the bringer of new life, which is why children have been celebrated for millennia, as they are the seeds of the future of all races.
It strikes us as odd that in this current world of naturism, there are factions that would want to undermine that, by placing barriers and limiting the exposure of the family unit. Traditionally naturism in the UK, as inspired by the FKK, began as an all male endeavour, and whilst at first it felt wonderful, after the first phase of euphoria began to wear off, the all male group who were living a free life, began to feel that something was not quite right. It was during one weekend when the males invited their wives and children to join them, that they fully started to understand, that complete fulfilment came when they practiced their naturism as a group of family units. That became the blue print for naturism not only in UK, but across the whole world, and was the true foundation of what is today’s global naturism.
The current trend of adult only, and selected female or gender and sexuality types, is in direct contradiction of the founding principles of naturism. There is a new concept that pleasure trumps nature, as having a good time is far more important than the history that predates current events, and it is warped and corrupted in its direction, as it can only lead to failure. Failure in this particular case can also mean extinction.
There is a natural progression to naturism’s growth, which has been evident for 100 years. Families have always been the core adding a stream of new life, those new born grow up within naturism and are taught its principals, and then as young people they form couples who then join together and produce new children, continuing the circle in a natural expansion, and all whilst watched over by the parents and grandparents, who are the guardians of the naturist population.
It can be no other way, because this is the formula that has existed for generations and is the back bone of what we call community. In our adventures, especially in 2023 involved in the Wales project at Halkyn, we studied the dynamics of interactions of those who attended the many events we did over the year. We are bloggers, Rob is interested in human behaviour, and so for us, it was simply natural to note down our observations and record our findings.
We placed families in the heart of all we did, and as a result as we were open in our promotions of family naturism, (Which was frowned upon by the establishment) In doing so we found, that young singles gravitated towards the families, which was maybe because families fostered a strong sense of security. Couples felt more at ease around the singles and families, and so became actively more involved with the group, which created a strong bond between all three groups. Elder members gravitated towards this expanded group, as they felt a strong sense of responsibility towards them, and wanted to help strengthen the bonds of community and add greater security. Single men felt more at ease around the elders, and also played their roles as assistants and helpers towards the elders, and what we witnessed was complete social cohesion.
We created a living and fully functioning community, as those of age felt younger in the presence of children, and the children felt safe, and so interacted freely with everyone. It was an amazing thing to see happen in real time, and it was then that we truly understood the power of real naturism, as laid out 100 years ago by those first few UK naturists.
Where as we have no issue with women’s events presa, we do find it odd that male only is frowned upon. We also do not understand how women will ever adjust to full social naturism, if they do not interact with other genders, and this creates what we see as an all female one way street with a dead end. We also feel that women’s only events increase the isolation of single males, which breeds greater distrust, which we see as anti naturist. Events that cater only to non heterosexual audiences, we also see as another type of dead end for naturism, because for us, it is a fundamental belief that naturism is open for everyone and should include everyone.
The current states of affairs being touted with naturism feels somewhat like a river where certain fish, otters and voles, have been banned to benefit the other users, and that is a completely alien concept for us to accept.
It is our belief, which is based on our own personal lived experience with naturism, that in order for naturism to function fully, it must have families at its heart, so that all of the other dynamics, which are openly welcome, can interact and orbit them. Naturism is community, and humanity in its truest form, and anything that contradicts that cannot and should not in our opinion be considered as real naturism.
at September 22, 2025 10:41 AM BST 
Children need no introduction to naturism. To them it's how they were born and how they would live should there be no one telling them they should wear clothes.
In Victorian days, naked adults are sinful. Naked children are natural. Swim wear for children was not even conceived. Today, we reversed it. Adults can display every bits of themselves in all sorts of provocative ways, but children are made to feel ashamed of their skin because of the obscene minds of adults. I am sure the most morally conservative person 100 years ago wouldn't comprehend our clothing culture today.
So how do parents introduce children to naturism? You don't have to if you are naked in front them and let them be naked around you. When the absence of something is not called out, its absence will be completely normal. It's like what some parents do with candies, ice cream, and increasingly mobile phones. It's not necessary to completely remove clothing from their lives, only to show them that parents don't wear clothes sometimes, or most of the times. They will pick this up as a social cue - clothing is for being away from home. Note that the subject is different. Their perception is about what clothing is for, not where nudity is allowed. This is the most important differentiation that children needs to learn - clothes serve specific functions, absence of which is normal. They are not missing anything when they are not clothed.
Very quickly when children interact with society at large, they are repeatedly reminded of the exact opposite. "You don't have clothes on!" "You are naked!" Often these commentary comes with mocking tones and jeering smiles. This is when parents need to come in to protect and defend. "We are all naked underneath our clothes!" "Yes, they are naked, and they love it!" We need to reinforce the idea that nudity remains perfectly fine in the family, but also introduce the fact that other families may not be the same, and that's perfectly normal too. How parents react to hostile situations is deterministic to how children would solidify their own sense of right or wrong. If parents hide their own nudity, im no time the children will follow suit. When parents don't conform to peer pressure, they will also stand behind their own beliefs. This is as important than introducing naturism itself.
The next step is to provide reinforcements. Instead of always fighting off prudes around you, connect the family with other naturist families, no matter how far they may be. Children know that being unique means not normal, and they prefer to be normal more often than not. If their nudity stands out than the best way to ease their concern is to show them they are not unique in any way. A few days or even a few hours of narutist socialization leave a big mark in their minds, and can convince them that naturist kids are just kids. We all have naturist parents and spend time at home naked. There is nothing special.
It's important for parents to not over think. Naturism is about being natural. Nudity is natural. Clothing is a purposeful add-on. If we stick with this simple line of thought, children will get it. We also want them to pass on the same line of thought to their children. In time, nudity will be a family tradition, and we will become multi-generation naturists.
