Kevin Barrett 
A woman who regularly takes baths with her sons—who are aged 10 and 11—defends her actions; however, a life coach disagrees.
Lauren Libbert, the mother in this story, was on “This Morning” Tuesday and opened up to hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby about her experiences.
Ben Edwards, the life coach, was on the show to discuss nudity in front of one’s children. To be clear, he does not agree that parents should be naked in front of their children.
In addition to being a life coach, Ben is also a father.
Lauren Libbert said that she continues to take baths with her sons, despite their ages, about once a week. She claims it to be a “normal” and “enjoyable” part of their routine as a family.
Ben pointed out that boys—as they approach puberty—tend to fantasize about their mothers.
Holly Willoughby, who is a mother of three children, said that Ben Edwards might be “over-sexualizing” the whole matter, but viewers tended to agree with Ben.
Many of them tweeted that journalist Lauren Libbert’s decision to be openly naked in front of her two children and share baths with them was “not normal” and “weird”.
One viewer wrote that bathing with sons who are 10 and 11 years old is strange. That viewer did not think being naked in front of kids of that age is wrong, but made it clear that bathing with the kids is just not for her. Of course, she wondered who she is to judge another person’s parenting.
Another viewer named Rach claimed to absolutely agree with everything that Ben was saying. Taking baths with one’s parents at the start of puberty “is just weird” said the viewer.
One viewer named Bobbie said that Lauren Libbert was talking nonsense. Bobbie pointed out that kids are cruel, and if other kids find out, Libbert’s children could be teased and bullied as a result.
Other viewers echoed that sentiment, feeling sorry for the children—one of whom is about to join secondary school.
Libbert was accused of sharing that detail about her personal life just to get on television. Several people wondered why she would do that.
One Twitter user named Trina said that the sons will “undoubtedly” be taunted because their mother revealed what she did to the nation on television. She called it bad parenting.
Lauren appeared on “This Morning” live via video link from her home in North London. She explained how her childhood shaped how she now acts as a parent. She said that bath time when she was a child was a good opportunity for her to spend time with her mother.
She said that the family baths, which happen at least once a week, are not a big issue in her house. It is something that they have been doing for years, she said, and it is quite enjoyable.
She claims that her boys are very comfortable with her being naked and them being naked. It is something they do in the house that is very normal—according to her.
She added that being naked is nothing to be ashamed of, and what she does actually offers her two sons “more clarity”.
The whole debate started because the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire stated nudity in her home isn’t considered a big deal.
As we mentioned, life coach Ben Edwards took issue with Lauren’s beliefs and attitudes, He pointed that Lauren’s experiences with her mother are very different than two boys about to enter secondary school, as well as puberty, bathing with their mothers.
He said what she’s doing opens up a lot of confusion. It isn’t about hiding nudity, he said; it is about not flaunting it.
Ben mentioned Sigmund Freud and his research; Freud’s research stated that boys, as they approach puberty, tend to fanaticize about their mothers.
Ben suggested boys grow up differently than girls, and Holly Willoughby challenged him. That’s when she asked if Ben was oversexualizing the matter. She asked if he was “taking away the innocence” of the relationship between a mother and a child—regardless of the child’s gender.
One user named Salv pointed out that things would be a lot different if the situation were reversed—if a man was bathing with his daughter—calling it a “double standard”.
Of course, one user named Donna claimed what Lauren is doing is natural and she isn’t doing any harm to the boys.
Ben defended his views; he said that parents should be allowed to raise their children their own way, but wondered where the line should drop.
Lauren admitted that her sons have become more intrigued by her bodies as they’ve gotten older. There is more pointing and they ask more questions.
She said that if her oldest boy does not want to be naked around her, she will take his lead.
She said that the environment in which she grew up made her more comfortable with her body, so she thinks that is an amazing gift to be able to pass down to her children.
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