5 ways to teach your kids respect for 'awrah (nudity)

1. Dress modestly at all times. Being indoors is NOT an excuse to walk around the house exposing your body, especially in the presence of your kids. When you're with your husband, you may seduce him with your lingeries and G-strings behind closed doors. But with your kids, wear your abaya or whatever covers your body well. Again, some of us are NOT comfortable with our wives exposing sensitive parts of their bodies always, even when alone with us. We believe that such should only be done when the need arises. Fathers should also avoid wearing boxers around the house when their kids are at home. 

2. Avoid watching videos or images that expose nakedness of others. As a Muslim, it is forbidden to expose your nudity to others, and to look at the nudity of others. Some parents are so careless to the level of exposing their children to movies and TV shows where people dress indecently. This is bad for the mental and emotional state of the children, and will cause them to lack respect for nudity.

3. Make them knock and seek permission before entering your room. Hear what Allāh says in Qur'ān 24:58

"Believers! At three times let those whom your right hands possess and those of your children who have not yet reached puberty ask leave of you before entering your quarters: before the Morning Prayer and when you take off your clothes at noon, and after the Night Prayer. These are the three times of privacy for you."

Your children must not cultivate the habit of barging into your rooms, or coming in and out aimlessly. Teach them to knock, make Taslīm, and ask if they can come in, before entering your rooms. 

4. Never allow them to bathe, or dress up in each other's presence. Don't be so complacent to assume that they are kids with no sense of perception. From young age, teach your children to give each other privacy, when one of them is using the toilet, or dressing up. And especially the opposite gender, let the boys leave the room for the girls in this situation and vice versa (it's safer though if they have separate rooms). Even among the same gender, teach them to always vacate the room when the other person is not dressed up.

5. Never allow such plays as touching or making reference to each other's genitals. Naturally, kids love playing wildly with and about just anything, especially if they see/hear those of their age group doing so. As parents, you must be keenly observant of what they engage in, and must immediately stop all kinds of play relating to their nudity.

Parenting is a full-time job. Stressful, but worthy of every drop of sweat. If you abandon your responsibility, you cannot escape the consequences of your irresponsibility.

Sanusi Lafiagi