At home in the south of France, Keri Assmus-Pouchoulon has grown accustomed to children emptying their tiny bladders in public.
They do it in haste and discreetly -- say, on the grassy border of a swimming pool.
"It's perfectly acceptable. Even for girls," says the 40-year-old mother of two.
The Pouchoulon children, 6-year-old Kelia and 3-year-old Nathan, know such behavior isn't embraced in America. Assmus-Pouchoulon grew up in Utah and returns most summers with her kids.
But the expat was surprised by the disapproving stares she drew at a local country club as she helped her kids out of their wet swimsuits poolside, instead of making a trip to the restroom.
"There are no signs forbidding this. No one approached me to say, 'That's inappropriate.' It's just an atmosphere that reigns here," said Assmus-Pouchulon. "But for me, it was perfectly natural, like taking a drink of water when you're thirsty. Your child is wet and cold, so you help them get warm."
Social norms about nudity vary widely across cultures. Topless sunbathers grace beaches in Europe while women in some Arab countries spend days fully cloaked. But even within America, there is a clashing of sensibilities over the subject of unclad children.
And it can lead to hurt feelings.
"I have a friend in Park City who was ostracized by her neighbors, because she lets her 5-year-old boy run naked in the backyard," says Lisa Heyborne.
Heyborne thinks it's "cool," and wonders why Americans "get so wrapped up" in the human body.
But when her 5-year-old daughter modeled the behavior at home, shedding her clothes after a Park City play date, Heyborne said her husband "wasn't amused."
So how old is too old for kids to go au naturel?
That appears to vary by family, although experts say children begin to differentiate private from public acts as early as 3 or 4.
"We teach them all types of private behavior, such as going potty in the toilet and not to pick their nose or hold onto their genitals," says Konstance McCaffree, an adjunct professor at Widener University in Chester, Pa., and president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.
Kids take cues from friends and family, but when they internalize lessons and develop a sense of modesty depends very much on the child, says McCaffree.
Household nudity is commonplace in many homes. And as summer heats up, kids as old as 5 or 7 can be seen romping through sprinklers naked and barefoot. It's as nature intended, a rite of childhood, some families believe.
But for others, keeping children fully clothed is a matter of polite courtesy and safety.
"Times have changed. When I grew up it didn't seem to matter. But now with all the child predators around, you have to be cautious," said Miki Eberhardt, 30.
Gender plays a role, especially with parents parading in front of their offspring.
Cami Poll, of Ogden, says she feels comfortable dressing in view of her 3-year-old daughter, but not her younger son.
For Jenni Carlson, it's simply a question of age.
"I'm not too worried about my 3-year-old running around in the buff, but definitely not my 6-year-old," says the Salt Lake City mother of four.
But age is more a state-of-mind than a number, contends 61-year-old Carol Rasmussen.
"You just know when they're too old," says the Ogden grandmother. "When they start remarking on body parts, you better cover them up."
