Onsen - bathing with children

Seriously, there is a tendency for Japanese people to assume that their customs are very difficult for non-Japanese to understand.

Did I say that I'm a Japanese mother who grew up in the U.S., and that the bath was in Japan and that the shower was in the U.S.? I had no problem swimming in the Y's pool before going to that shower, by the way.

Anyway, I've already gave my advise based on my personal experience. A mother should be able to know what's best for her son, and every son is different of course. I also didn't mean to scare the OP, just so that she'd know.

Uco - I know that you're giving your personal views, based on relevant experience, and I know enough from your posts on the forum to respect your views and your good intentions to help. I've been very grateful for your helpful answers in the past.

My comments were based on the view that Japanese people tend to find family bathing to be quite normal, whereas a typical western 10 yr old would have a horror of seeing their parents naked.

Oh, alright, Winter Visitor. Somehow I had the impression that you were saying thing the other way around. I'm sorry about that.

Please don't apologise.

I value your help on here so much, and I hope to benefit from it in the future. I was rather worried that I might have offended you, so thanks for your reply.

Even though you're in the US, has your son ever bathed with you? I'm assuming he's grown up there.

He might feel very uncomfortable bathing around you if he's not already used to it, and being in a section with all women (or men for that matter) may embarrass him.

In the west, one of the most terrifying things to imagine or see is our parents nude. If I saw my dad naked, that'd traumatize me. Don't want to see my mom either.

Oh yeah, most also view bathing as a very private thing, which is why you don't see parents bathing with their kids over a certain age in the US (that and maybe fear of being wrongfully accused of being a perv). Once they're old enough to "remember" what you look like, time to stop bathing with them I've heard some parents say. lol

Sorry, also forgot to ask if in the US do you do family baths, as that's not common either.