When it comes to entrusting their children with someone, many parents turn to family first. After all, what could be safer than people you trust? Surely, you expect them to act only in the best interest of the kids — but sadly, that trust isn't often earned or warranted.
One concerned parent was stunned when her 9-year-old son came home and told her that his grandfather sleeps in the nude — and what’s worse, the two share a room whenever her son sleeps over. Eek!
The post was originally shared in an older letter from the Dear Prudence advice column on Slate, but recently bubbled up again online.
As the parent explained, her son loves to go to his paternal grandparents’ house for vacations and holiday breaks.
“He and his grandfather sleep in the same room on separate beds because they have similar sleeping schedules,” she explained in her post. "I just found out that Grandpa sleeps in the nude!”
The letter writer explained that her son told her this "like it was a secret."
The mom questioned him a little more, but didn’t hear anything that indicated that something inappropriate was going on — but still, it was pretty strange.
“I asked my husband, and he recollected that his father did sleep naked,” she wrote. “I was shocked, and upset, and didn’t feel that this was appropriate. What should we do?”
Some people thought it was pretty strange.
"My husband and I sleep in the nude at home but if we are sharing a hotel room with our son sleeping in the other bed we wear pajamas," wrote one person. "I don’t think it’s too big an ask to have grandpa wear a pair of boxers."
"I don't care if grandpa sleeps naked, but NOT in the same room as my kid," another commenter agreed. "Nine-year-old is clearly at least a little uncomfortable with this arrangement. Grandpa can sleep in another room or throw on a pair of shorts, it's not that complicated."
"I sleep fully clothed," a third commenter pointed out. "You should always be prepared to react to a fire alarm, home invasion, or the cops banging on your door. You probably don’t want to be handling any of these situations while bare a–ed naked."
While other people thought there was nothing weird about going to sleep in your birthday suit.
"Naked Grandpa LW is kind of funny," one commenter shared. "Men in my family have always slept naked and it's never occurred to anyone to care. Let's hope the LW never gets wind of skinny dipping. Her head would explode."
"Yeah, my dad slept nude and so do I," someone else joked. "We live in the tropics. I also shower in the nude."
While a third commenter put it this way: "I doubt that you can spot a child molester by his sleeping attire. If gramps has always slept in the nude wouldn't it be a little strange for him to change when the grandson is over? Wouldn't that send the message that there is something wrong with sleeping naked?"
Columnist Emily Yoffe seemed to agree: this wasn't something to worry about.
The LW could try and force her father-in-law to wear pajamas, "but if he is a man who has spent decades sleeping in the buff, he’s committed to going commando," she explained.
"You gently asked your son if anything alarming was going on, and you got a reassuring answer," she continued. "He told you this confession confidentially because he obviously realized that Gramps is hanging out in a way he doesn’t get to see at home and he just couldn’t keep the news to himself."
"So now have your husband tell your son that he remembers his dad never wore pajamas, and it’s kind of funny," she added, "but it’s also fine."
