Naked and Not Ashamed

Yesterday, Jewel exploded in the door, words already spilling for her lips. “Mom, today in the pick up line at school, some little kid was standing up on his car seat waving at everyone—and all he had on was his underwear!” To which I asked, “Was it Jot?”


Anybody that knows Jot knows of his aversion to clothing. I can’t count the number of people who’ve seen him clad in only a shirt and undies, just his whitey-tightys, sans clothing at all, or his pink derriere in the air (one time in the sanctuary at church, but that’s for anther day). He just doesn’t like to wear clothes. The tags itch him, the hems scratch him, and forget about it if there is a crisp logo on the front—its got to go. In frustration, he yells, “Mom, this shirt is messin’ with me!”

Actually the whole family somehow feels freedom from lack of constricting clothing. Hubby taught the kids as soon as they were potty trained what it means to “go Commando”. Just when I finally convinced them to wear underwear, he introduced them to the idea of wearing pajamas without any. Hence the morning routine in our house:

“Do you have your homework?”

“Yes.”

“Your lunch money?”

“Yes.”

“Your AR book?”

“Yes.”

“Underwear?”

“Dang. Be right back.”


Anyway, the first Friday in May (May 7, this year) is No Pants Day. The idea is that you get dressed like you normally do, only forget to put on your pants—on purpose. It is supposed to be a silly, fun way to lighten up and not take things so seriously. Now, I’m not telling my kids this, but it is something for the rest of us to consider. No, not the not wearing pants part, but the not taking yourself—and others—so seriously. I think that is why being naked appeals so much to little kids. That is how we were created to be, in the Garden, after all.

Think about what it means when a child goes naked. They feel no shame. They don’t worry that their chubby thighs rub together. They don’t suck in their gut trying to appear two sizes smaller. They enjoy the feel of warm breezes against their skin and soft kittens curled in their arms. They feel freedom, peace, and security in who they are. Isn’t that something we should all strive for?

So, in honor of No Pants Day, why don’t you symbolically take your pants off for the day? Remove the guilt, the shame, the bondage you feel toward your own body and rejoice in who you were created to be. And if you work from home, go ahead and lose the pants for the day.