Gwyneth Paltrow has always been someone who is a bit easy to hate. She is enviably toned and gorgeous, her career is in perfect shape, and she is insanely wealthy. Add to that a close relationship with her family and a seemingly flawless interest in eating well and living well, and of course, she is going to have her share of haters (myself included). We all hate what we are envious of, natch.

The problem is that Gwyneth, despite being annoyingly haughty, is generally a good mom and a seemingly smart person with her priorities in the right places. Dang. I hate when that happens. But she can’t escape the criticism, and a seemingly innocuous admission in the latest edition of Harper’s Bazaar discussing how she bathes with her school age children (Moses is 5 and Apple is 7) has the Internet up in arms.

I say big whoop.

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We live in a very prudish society where nudity is basically seen as molestation, but in a family context, it's not that big a deal. People really need to relax.

Personally, I don't bathe with my own children who are 3.5 and 5, but that isn't because I am worried about them seeing me nude and more because I am worried about them peeing in the tub (or worse). Besides, I am not a bath person in general (stewing in one’s own filth and all that).

But I see nothing wrong with bathing with your children if they're OK with it. Truthfully, my children have made some comments, especially to my husband, that have made him want to cover up more, especially in front of our older child (a daughter). But this is the way we do things, not the way everyone should. If bathing as a family works for Gwyneth, who are we to judge?

I see no problem with this and I would challenge anyone who does to explain WHY. WHY does this bother you so much? Are you really sure that it's because older kids shouldn't bathe with their parents or is it for another reason? Is it because it's Gwyneth?

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Children should see our bodies and they should feel comfortable in their skin and they should know that there is nothing wrong with being naked. The best way to teach that is to model it.

If Gwyneth feels comfortable bathing with her children, it's none of our business. It's their family and their rules and, in the end, her family will probably be better off for her openness.

Do you think it's wrong that Gwyneth bathes with her kids?

 

Image via Yausser/Flickr